


A.E Academy

by SappyGirlzi



Category: Call of Duty (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:14:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27451819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SappyGirlzi/pseuds/SappyGirlzi
Summary: There's something unsettling lurking around the halls of the Academy. Will they be able to stop them before chaos erupts?(My First Fanfic lmao)Tumblr: CosmicChildniTwitter: CosmicChildni
Relationships: "Tank" Dempsey/Edward Richtofen, Abigail "Misty" Briarton/Marlton Johnson, Billy Handsome/Michael "Finn" O'Leary, Diego Necalli/Scarlett Rhodes, Nikolai Belinski/Takeo Masaki, Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 11
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A School AU

He laid in bed staring at his alarm clock sleepily. His eyes were trying their best to close shut but, they were instantly snapped back open. It was known there would-be instant regret from staying up all night from going to that party. It wouldn’t be long until his mother barged in there to wake him up so, he was bracing himself. The only thing he would have to get used to is his dim room being lit up whenever he refused to cooperate. After thirty minutes of trying to fight his sleep he decided to let his head fall against the pillow and let sleep overcome him. 

Not even five minutes had passed when all of sudden he heard a clicking sound. His eyes shot wide open which made him instantly sit up. He wanted to make it seem like he was up and ready to go; He wanted to avoid his mother scolding him early before his first day. There was a water bottle on his night stand, he grabbed it and opened it quickly. He poured the water on his hand and splashed the water on his face to wake his self-up at least. 

He threw the empty water bottle to the side and composed himself. The door slowly opened as a blonde-haired woman peeked her head out from behind it. She stopped midway and started to inspect the room, he stared at her examining her expression closely. She was mumbling to herself and shaking her head occasionally; She stepped inside the room fully, “THOM-”! 

“I’m up”. 

“OH MY GO-”, She gasps startled by the boy. She was overall surprised that he beat her to the punch. This almost made him laugh, she sped walk over to the curtains and pulled them apart. “You could’ve given me a warning instead of sitting there”, she said while walking to pull his other set of curtains apart. “I know... sorry, I just had a little delay that’s all ma”. He got up and hugged her while giving her a little peck on the cheek while she ruffled his hair. She got a good look at his face and raised her eyebrow, “Thomas...you look like you’ve been in a sauna- Are you ok”? He looked at her confused until he remembered the water he splashed on his face. 

Before he could make up a lie, she brushed it off and walked out of the room. “You have ten minutes before the bus gets here Thomas Dempsey, make it count”! He sighed as he heard her footsteps fade away down the hall. “Ten minutes....”. He started dragging himself towards his closet to get his uniform. It consisted of: a navy-blue suit jacket with the school emblem on the right side, a white dress shirt with a blue tie, beige plaid pants, and brown loafers. He didn’t care for the jacket but decided it was best to put it on anyways. 

He grabbed the uniform and made his way out of the room to the bathroom. As he was walking down the hall and he noticed the other two-bedroom doors were open which instantly made him groan. To his luck the bathroom light wasn’t on when he made it there, he took this as his chance to go in and lock the door behind him. He rushed to get himself ready before his mother came back up the stairs. There was a knock on the door but he couldn’t hear it over the shower running. 

They knocked again but louder, “Dempsey, would you please stop hogging all of the damn hot water”! He smiled to himself and responded mockingly, “Sorry that you couldn’t get here faster but you’re going to have to wait”. This only made the other walk away while mumbling curses in defeat. He finished showering and dried off; He put on his under clothes along with his shoes and pants. He walked out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his neck. 

He walked to his room, “Fucking finally”! He rolled his eyes and went inside. He dried his hair off avoiding getting his shirt wet and put his jacket on afterwards. He grabbed his school books and made his way to the door; before leaving he stopped and examined himself in the mirror and fixed his hair. Until he got it to the point where he was satisfied with it. He walked out of his room and downstairs to meet everyone.


	2. Chapter 2

“Glad you could join us. You won’t be able to sit and eat your breakfast which is why I encourage you to get up a little early hon”. “I know, I will work on that but It wouldn’t bother me to miss breakfast. I’ll get something at school”. A car horn went off which immediately caught both of their attention; his mom walked to window and shook her head and smiled. “Did you know he was coming by today”? Dempsey walked over to the window to see who it was, his face lit up when he saw. He shook his head, “No idea but he saved me from that bus ride today”!

He basically dashed to the front door, “Alright I'm off”! He ran out the front door and his mother yelled after him, “You two behave please”! In front of their house was a red Chrysler imperial, it was gleaming as the sunlight hit it. “Dempsey! Did you forget I was coming today”? A boy with light brown messy bed hair and baby blue eyes was seated in the driver’s seat. He leaned down a little to get a good glimpse at his friend that was approaching the vehicle.

He got into the car and threw his books in the back carelessly. “I’m sorry man, I completely forgot. Did you wait long”? The other shook their head, “Not at all my friend, I’m just getting here myself”. Dempsey sighed of relief while grabbing the pair of ray bands out of the cup holder and put them on. “Wake me up, when we get there ok”, he said as he leaned his seat back. He turned the radio up slightly and drove off.

Meanwhile in the Dempsey’s household

A boy stomped his way down the hall with a towel around his waist. “Where is he”! She was leaning against the counter looking at him with a magazine in her hand. The boy face dropped as he was shivering violently, “He’s gone already isn’t he...”? She slowly nodded. “Hey mom where’s the campus located....”, The boy stopped in his tracks as he seen the other standing there soaking wet and shaking. He turned around and stomped back to his room fuming. They both looked at each other for a minute and suddenly burst out laughing.

The car came to a sudden stop and the music was turned down. He looked over at the boy walking down the street while carrying a ton of books in his hand. He opened the door and hopped out, “Hey! Do you need a ride”? The boy continued walking; he didn’t hear him. He decided it was best to run after him and get his attention so, that’s what he did. He caught up to the boy and put his hand on his shoulder to get his attention, “He-”. The boy jumped back and drop his books, obviously startled. He got into a fighting stance ready to beat the crap out of anyone who tried to harm him. This made the other put his hands up in defense quickly, “Easy! I was just trying to see if you needed a ri- …..Takeo”?

He blinked at him and slowly regained his composure. His face started to feel hot as he looked down at the ground in embarrassment. “Oh...it was only you Russian”. He laughed at his sudden change which earned him a “Shut up” in return. They picked the books up and made their way to the car. Takeo noticed the sleeping boy, “I see that you already have some company”. “Yeah, we were on our way to the academy when I spotted you”. They entered the car with Takeo taking the back seat; The car started back up and they drove off.

There were kids all over the academy grounds, standing around waiting on their friends or just making it there. It was lively which was not something Dempsey needed today. They drove into the parking lot and parked the car. They both stepped out of the car leaving Dempsey there still asleep; Takeo reached his hand through the window to shake him but he only got a grumble in response. “I’ll handle it”, He said as he opened the door without warning making Dempsey almost fall onto the hard concrete”.

“What the hell Nik! I told you to wake me up not try to kill me”! He shrugged with a smug look, “You’re up aren’t you”. They got their stuff and Nikolai locked the car, Dempsey decided to keep the shades on for the time being. “Dempsey are you feeling alright today”, Takeo looked at him with concern. He tried his best to smile at him, “I’m fine Tak, just needed a little rest that’s all. Nothing can keep me down”, he yawned a little.

They made their way through the front entrance of the academy; They were immediately met with a man with a grey suit on with black hair that was slicked back. “I need your names kids”. They told him their names and he wrote it down and urged them to “get the steppin”. Takeo turned to the two, “Thank you nikolai for the ride and Dempsey I’ll be there if you need anything”. He bid his farewells and walked off, “Well then I’m off comrade, I’ll see you later at lunch”. Nikolai left leaving Dempsey there standing alone nodding off to himself. He lazily dragged himself to his first lecture of the day.

When he got there, the class was empty, he was thankful for that as he took the seat all the way in the back. He looked at the clock, “8:08”. He laid his head down on the desk and drifted off to sleep. All of a sudden he could hear a soft voice but no one nowhere to be found. _“They’re coming young one...you and the others must brace yourselves no matter what”_. It was pitch dark, it felt he was in a dark void. “What do you mean They??? Who’s coming? Who are you”??? “This is not the time to wonder about that young one...prepare yourself and keep them safe”. He looked around to see a light in front of him, _“I must go now...”._ He tried to run after it but everything started to fade and he heard a muffled voice.

His head slowly lifted from the desk as the voice got clearer now. He looked around to see everyone in their seats staring at him. “Damn...I overslept”. “Mr. Dempsey”, He looked straight ahead knowing immediately who the voice belonged to; It was professor Monty. “Yes”, He answered flatly with a blank stare. The man sighed and looked at him, “I see that you didn’t get enough sleep last nigh-” “Obviously”. The man eyebrow twitched a little as he tried his best to form a smile. “I will let you slide but I ask for you to please make this easier for the both of us this year”. Dempsey sighed and agreed; They went on with their lecture.


	3. Chapter 3

“Are sure this’ll work Edward”? The boy was inspecting the chemicals closely. “I’m very positive...would you mind passing me that magnifying glass over there”? He pointed to the edge of the table. He nodded and quickly grabbed the magnifying glass. Edward thanked him and took it, he placed it in front of the glass that was filled with a green liquid of some sort. He spent most of the class trying to get it right, he was sure he mixed the ingredients perfectly this time and it wouldn’t be a huge disaster. 

The door to the classroom slid open and the two boys looked over. “Edward there you are! I was looking all over for you”. She noticed the other standing beside him, “Albert I didn’t know you were here also”. “I brought him along to be my assistant for today. Is there anything Important that you need”? She clasped her hands in front of her and gave Edward a playful pout, “It’s really important this time Eddie I promised”. He put his hands on his hips and sighed, he knew that she would continue to plead with him if he didn’t comply. 

He looked over at Albert and apologized, “I’m sorry for taking you out of your class just to help me with this...are you available this afternoon”? “Sure, we can meet up at the lockers after school”. He said goodbye to them both leaving Edward looking at her and tapping his feet impatiently. She smiled and clapped, “Okay so the drama club is throwing a play this fall and I really need your help”. “I’m not bribing anyone so you can become the lead”. She whined, “This is the last time please ed”! “Would it really hurt to give someone else a chance to be the star of the show Jess”? She thought about it, “No”. He looked at her with a “Really” look. “Yes...Okay I know that I’d like the spotlight but you can’t blame me. I’m just natural at this sort of thing”. He began taking the lab coat and goggles off, “I’m sorry but the answer is no. It’s a new year just give someone else a chance okay”. 

She sat down in a chair and rested her head on her hand and pouted, “I hate when you do that”. He looked at her and teased her, “Aww is someone angry that I won’t give in this time. You’ll get over it trust me”. She rolled her eyes and tried to think of a plan, she looked over at Edward who was now cleaning up the table. “What can I do to make him agree....”, she thought to herself some more until an idea popped into her head; She smiled to herself mischievously. She got up and made her way to the door, “I’m off I’ll see you in third”. He waved at her and went back to cleaning, “I got him now”. 

He was thankful that class was over with but that didn’t mean he would be able to relax. He opened his locker and started to place his books inside along with his jacket. He rather for it to be put away to let his self breathe a little. He unbuttoned his shirt a little and loosened up his tie. The whole uniform was a pain to him actually, the final adjustment he made was rolling up his sleeves until they stopped above his elbows. He closed the locker shut and let his head fall against it groaning. 

“Hey you~ I was hoping that I would see you today”. Five minutes- That's all he asked for. He lifted his head off of the locker and ran his fingers through his hair, “Looks like you found me”. She smiled at him and started to place her hand on his chest, “I was thinking we can find an empty classroom and..” she leaned in and whispered in his ear “Pick up where we left off”. “Dempsey”! He sighed of relief and backed away from the girl a little, “Jessica what’s going on”? “I need to speak with you”. The girl slid in front of her and smiled, “I’m sorry but we were talking. I think he’ll have to get back with you later”. 

Jessica mimicked and mocked her, “Well I’m sorry; I’m speaking to him now so, could you run along please it’s important”. They both gave each other a fake smile, Dempsey stood there awkwardly between the two. The girl walked away making sure her hips were swaying as she did so. Jessica rolled her eyes as she looked back to Dempsey but, the bell rung through the halls alerting them that it was time to go. Jessica tried to get Dempsey to stay but he slipped away assuring her he’ll catch up with her soon. “Damn it”! She walked down the hall, “Don’t panic your plan will fall through”. 

A girl with two long pigtails spotted and jogged up to her, “Why the long face jess? Did something not go your way again”? “Aren’t you supposed to be with your nerd”? “Hey! He is not MY nerd okay”. The girl face started to heat up as Jessica smirked at her. She pretended to think, “What was his name again? Michael? Mason? Oh! Marly”, she said teasingly. “It’s Marlton”, she responded in a flat tone. Jessica laughed, “Where are you headed”? “I have a soccer meeting right now which I will be late to if I don’t get going”. Jessica pushed her ahead playfully, “Yer better get going ya hear me”? She rolled her eyes and jogged ahead and waved to her goodbye. 

Jessica set off to her next class, she walked through the door to find the class half full. “Ms. Rose please hurry and take your seat class is about to begin”, the woman said as she was handing papers out. Jessica looked over at everyone, there were barely any seats left. “Jessica”, she looked over to see a group of kids waving for her to come over. She hurriedly went over to them and sat down in a desk. “Floyd, Billy, Takeo, and Scarlet. I didn’t know you all were in this class”, she said with a wide smile. “That’s not all", Takeo said as he motioned to the others walking through the door. 

There were four boys and one girl that made their way through the door. Dempsey was walking alongside Edward who were talking about something. Nikolai walked in with his hands placed behind his head as for Finn- He was walking hand and hand with a girl. “Wow”, Jessica mouthed. They all nodded in agreement. This was going to be one hell of a class they thought. They all took their seats and waited for their instructions. 

Midway through, class was going by smoothly. So far no shenanigans were being pulled. “Everyone I know it’s the first day but I’d like to go over the first assignment”. They all groaned wanting to be done with the day; “It’ll be a group assignment. There will be four in a group so, pick or I’ll do it for you”. They looked at each other then shot up out of their seats to go find their group members. Billy looked around not knowing who to be in a group with. He didn’t really care for group assignments but he wanted to at least try this year. 

He looked over to see that Dempsey, Nikolai, Finn, and Angela was paired together. “Billy”, he turned around to be met face to face with Edward. “You could work with us if you’d like”, Billy noticed Jessica and Takeo standing behind him. It was just one assignment so it wouldn’t hurt; plus they weren’t annoying. “Sure”, he shrugged. “Wunderbar”! The teacher announced everyone to be seated, “Alright, that settles it. I will give you the instructions now”.


	4. Chapter 4

The day was over with and everyone headed home. Edward was standing at the lockers waiting for Albert to come. “Sorry, I was trying to catch up on my work”! He waved dismissively and shook his head, “It’s fine. Would you like to go my house or yours”? “Yours will be fine, there’s just a lot of commotion at my home”, he laughed nervously. There was a loud noise that could be heard from down the main hall, they both looked at each other. “What was that”, Albert asked looking at Edward confused. He just shrugged in return. 

More noises could be heard which made them suspicious. Edward started to walked down the Hallway slowly with Albert following in suit. He listened closely to see where the noise was coming from. It seemed to stop as they got to the double doors of the main office, “Maybe we should see if someone is in there that could go see about the noise”. Edward pulled open one of the doors, they both stepped in. “Hello? Anyone here”? They walked through the office to find an adult but there wasn’t anyone insight, “We’ll probably just have to wait until someone comes”. Edward shook his head, “We can’t be here for long”. 

They heard more noises but now more clearly. It came from the head’s office which was to the right of them. “I’ll go and check ok, just stay here and keep a look out”, Al nodded and stood by the double doors. Edward slowly walked to the door, he looked through the glass to see that the office was dim. He inspected the room slowly until his eyes land on something hunched over in the corner. He didn’t know what he was staring at, it was like an alien like creature from an sci-fi film. It felt like heavy rocks were placed upon the boy’s feet all of a sudden, “Edward...”? 

Edward started to slowly back away from the door not taking his sights off of it. There was a loud crunch sound that could be heard throughout the office. Edward seen it turned its head towards him and got up. “We have to go.....”. “Wha-” “WE HAVE TO GO NOW”, Edward turned around and grabbed albert’s arm and started running. He wanted to make it out of there before the creature could get near them. They were out of the academy in an instant, Edward still having a tight grip on Al’s arm. 

They stopped in front a local gas station to catch their breathes. Edward couldn’t erase what he saw and it was driving him crazy at the moment. He felt a hand on his shoulder and instantly jumped back. “It’s ok It’s ok...we’re around people so we’re safe at least”. “Sorry, I just can’t believe what I just saw back there. Were my eyes deceiving me? I’m for sure I don’t do drugs...”. He mumbled something in German to himself which made Al confused, “I can’t understand you Edward...”. “My apologies, please don’t mind me. Let’s start making our way to my house shall we”? 

They were greeted by Jessica, Billy, and Takeo who were standing inside of the living room. “Edward,Warum hast du mich nicht wissen lassen, dass du Eine Gesellschaft haben wirst”? “Sorry Maxis, ich werde Sie vorher wissen lassen”. The man nodded and walked off into a different room, and Edward urged for them to follow him down the stairs into the basement. They were surprised to find it nicely decorated, the cool breeze from the ac instantly hit them. Edward went to turn it off, “It’s very cool in here”. They all agreed while setting their belongings down. He looked over at the others sitting on the floor talking with one another. 

“Al...could you come here for a second”? The boy got up from his place and went over to Edward. He immediately notices the look on his face, '’Yes Edward”? He whispered, “Do you think I should tell them what I saw back there? I just- I just don’t want to put them in danger”! The others were laughing loudly all of sudden which made them look over at them. Still staring at them, “I don’t know...”. That wasn’t the answer he was expecting but he couldn’t blame him. “Let’s just worry about it tomorrow”, Edward nodded and they both went to join the others. “About time, now we can get some of this shit done”, Billy said while looking at the two. 

Three hours had passed since they all started now, they were scattered in different places. Billy was laying across the sofa while reading everyone’s answers, Takeo was still sitting in the floor looking through the textbooks for more information, Al was watching over the other chemicals Edward mixed together, and Jessica was doing her makeup in the mirror. 

Billy groaned and threw the paper aside, “This is boring, I’d be out right now doing something fun”! He got up and went over to Al, “What the hell is all of this Al”? “I don’t want to sound rude but Edward flunked chemistry last year so he wanted to ace the class this time. So, he brought me along to be his assistant to make sure nothing goes wrong”. “You out of all people”? Billy snorted which made albert roll his eyes. Edward came back down the stairs with a plate full of snacks in his hand. 

Everyone basically ran to Edward before he could place the snacks on the table. “Sooooo Eddie”, she placed her arm around his shoulder. “You know I love and cherish you right”? He squinted his eyes and slowly nodded, “Same to you...”. “Good, we’re on the same page”. She made sure that the others couldn’t hear her and she had a serious expression, “It’s kind of funny that you’re always around him but never thought to make your move. Before you know it, it’ll be too late darling”. 

Edward cheeks were starting to flare up, “Why are we talking about this now”?! She avoided his question, “I think we can change that since we’re ALL in a class together. Or we can make a deal”. He clenched his jaw and stared at the ground with wide eyes, he was confused as to why she was doing this but then it clicked. The phone on the wall ranged, Takeo went over to get it. “Hello”, Takeo then turned away from the others whispering into the phone harshly. 

After three minutes of going back and forth, he gently placed the phone on the hook. It was silent until Takeo finally spoke up, “Edward please forgive me but I tried to change their minds”. “Their- wait...what happened”? They heard the doorbell rang and they all ran up the stairs. Edward quickly opened the door and was met face to face with Nikolai. “N-nikolai why are you here? Are you alone”? He stepped aside to show the others behind him standing near the car talking. 

Edward could feel a large lump form in his throat, oh dear...


	5. Chapter 5

“How could you be so careless?! We can’t let them endanger everything we’ve worked so hard for”! “Don’t worry shadow everything will be alright, just trust me”. “What are we going to do about those kids...”? “For now, we’ll leave them be until they become a threat to us”. He stared at the man and sighed while setting a book down on the table. Monty raised his eyebrow, “why did you bring this”? He fixed his fedora and pulled his pocket watch out and stared at it. “The closer we get to achieving our goal, the less time we will have”. He walked towards the door and opened it, “Be careful next time and don’t let your guard down”. He left the man standing there staring at the book in front of him. 

“I told you to not come here”! “Why not? It wouldn’t hurt for us to get feedback from you guys”. Takeo facepalmed himself, “Nikolai it’s a group Assignment. The teacher would’ve given you that”! “Okay, Me and Dempsey wanted to come over because it was getting awkward sitting there with Finn and Angela”. The two kept going back and forth while the others were scattered in different places like before. Edward shushed everyone and went into the center of the room, “Maxis doesn’t know that you all are here so, you have to be quiet”. 

“You guys can only stay for a little because it’s getting late”. They decided to sit with their respective groups and work with each other occasionally, joking around and asking each other for help. After finishing up his part Edward decided to go check on the new chemicals he made. Al had his head rested on his hand while yawning here and there. Edward seen his tired expression and couldn’t help to feel guilty. He decided to collect his belongings and bring it to him, “Here, thank you for coming today. You should go home and rest”. 

He thanked him and bid his farewells to the group before Edward walked him up the stairs. “Are you ok walking home by yourself tonight”? He nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. If anything, I’ll have peace and quiet until I get home”. They both laughed and said goodbye to each other, Edward closed the door behind him and locked it. “Edward”, he turned around and saw Dempsey standing there. “Is there something wrong Thomas”? It seemed like something changed in those ocean blue eyes that Edward always admired. “I don’t know how to say this but...there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you ever since I’ve got here”. 

Edward heart began racing as he stood there not knowing what to do. Was this really it; Was Dempsey going to confess to him right then and there?! It felt like he was going to pass out. Dempsey looked at him with concern and kept calling his name to bring him back to reality. “Are you ok Edward? If it’s too much I understand-”. Edward shook his head frantically and assured him he was fine. “Sorry, would you mind repeating what you just said...”? “Um ok...I was wondering if...”, Edward was hopeful now. “I-if you had anymore snacks! I haven’t eaten all day”. 

He seemed so embarrass to ask such a thing while Edward looked like a kid whose birthday surprise was just spoiled. “Come this way”, he said in a flat tone while Dempsey followed him smiling. “They’re over there in the cabinet knock yourself out I guess...”. Dempsey hurriedly grabbed as much as he could, Edward couldn’t help but smile a little. He did get his hopes up but he shouldn’t stay mad about it...he’ll get over it. They made their way back into the basement after Dempsey was finished raiding his kitchen. 

“Uncle Eddie”! A little girl with long chocolate brown hair and emerald green eyes was sitting on the couch crossed leg. “Samantha, you’re supposed to be sleeping right now! Maxis will be upset if he sees that you’re still up”. She pouted, “I had a nightmare and I was going to sleep in your room but you weren’t there”. He checked the time and realized that he needed to tell everyone to leave. “Okay okay guys- It's getting pretty late we’ll catch up tomorrow during class”. 

Everyone had their stuff packed and said their goodbyes to each other. They all made their way back home for the night; He locked the door behind them and sighed. He picked the girl up and started walking up the stairs to his room. He placed her on the bed and grabbed a few blankets and a pillow to make a pallet on the floor. “Onkel Eddie bin ich eine Mühe für Sie”? He gave her a small smile and shook his head, “Sie sollten sich keine Sorgen über so etwas sam”. She closed her eyes and smiled as he pulled the covers over her, “Goodnight Onkel eddie”. 

He got under the covers and laid on his pallet staring at the ceiling for a moment until he decided to drift off to sleep. “Goodnight Samantha...”.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a sunny day today so, that means that everyone at the academy could go outside during the school hours. It felt wonderful. There were only a few excuses for being outside: school sports team, gym class, science projects, to eat lunch, or to ditch class (if you were careful). The school’s baseball team was practicing today along with the girls' soccer team. “We’ve been having a lot of meetings lately but, we’re for sure we’ll kick some ass this year”. “Of course! With you on the team there’s no doubting it misty. You are one of the best players out there in my opinion”. She rubbed the back of her neck and flashed a toothy grin, “If you say so Marlton”. 

From afar you can see Edward and Jessica staring at them while eating their lunch. “Oh, give me a break...It’s damn near obvious that she’s got a thing for him”, Edward nodded in agreement. “Hey, is it okay if we sit here”? “Not at all, you’re fine”. It was Scarlett and a boy they didn’t recognize. “Who’s this”, Jessica said with a smile. “Guys this is Diego he just transferred here. I’m his guide so I have to show him around since our schedules are the same”. The boy smiled at them, “Nice to meet you all. I have to say this place isn’t so bad”. 

All three of them beg to differ. The school’s baseball team made their way out onto the field in a line. They all were in uniform and had their equipment. “Oh, look Edward, there’s Dempsey...doesn’t he look so fit in his uniform today”. He pretended he didn’t hear her and continued eating his food. He wasn’t going to break for her benefit. Scarlett raised her eyebrow, “That’s new. Since when did you have a thing for him”? “I don’t. she’s bluffing that’s all”. “I’m bluffing?”, she got up from her seat and stood in front of Edward. 

“If I’m bluffing, you wouldn’t care if I went over there right now and told him the truth”? Scarlett and Diego were watching with anticipation slowly eating their food. Edward put himself in this mess and now he has to try his best to get out. He was composed on the outside but in the inside, he was screwed. She knew that he would crack now but to her disappointment Edward stood his ground. “Fine”, she started running away from the lunch area towards the baseball field. 

Everyone was looking at Jessica as if she’s gone mad. It wasn’t long until the players of each team noticed her. “What the hell is she doing”? Misty was confused as for everyone else. “Edward, you need to stop her. I can see that you don’t want her to do it”. He tried to look like he didn’t care but he eventually gave in and started running after her. “Jessica stop”, he yelled as he was running. She looked behind her and smiled innocently while picking up the pace. 

“Should we go after them”? “I think it’s best to not get involved”. She was almost there until she was tackled to the ground. They both groaned in pain while everyone was staring at them trying not to laugh. Marlton and Misty came over and help them up alongside a few members from the baseball team. “Are you two okay?! What happened-” “We’re fine”, Edward grabbed Jessica by the arm and dragged her away. 

Diego and Scarlett looked at each other as everyone resumed what they were doing. 

“Thank you for coming today to experience the magical greatness of Nero", The crowd slowly clapped as the boy bowed. “Tell me, why did you bring me to this again”? “You were the only person willing to come and I wanted to get out Shaw's class today”. “Understandable but we both know there’s been rumors of accidents happening at these magic shows. Specifically, Nero’s”. They were shushed by a boy in front of them which made Billy flick them off. “Woo! YEAH NERO, LET’S SEE SOME MAGIC”, a few of the audience members laughed. A boy slapped him upside the head and glared at him, “For once stop acting like a fucking idiot Vincent”. “You’re the one to talk Floyd”. 

Nero brushed it off and continued with his act. “I’ll be back, I’m just going to the restroom", Billy nodded and slid down the chair a little. Billy got comfortable and ended up falling asleep. A few minutes in he heard a loud bang, he opened his eyes to see that there was no one around him anymore. He was still in the auditorium but it looked abandoned; Some of the chairs were missing, the lights were flickering, and half of it seemed to be destroyed. He got up and ran out of there to find everyone else, the ceiling was starting to collapse in the hall. 

“What the fuck...Is this real”, he uttered in disbelief. He ran down the hallway as fast as he could still keeping a lookout for any survivors. He made to it to the main hallway and decided it was best to stop there. He looked around breathing heavily, “Damn it! What the fuck is happening here”! He walked to the entrance and decided to go out of the school. As soon as he placed his hands on one of the double doors, a slithering noise could be heard. Billy snapped his head towards the direction the sound came from. 

He pushed the door opened slowly still ready to be met face to face with whatever. “Who’s there?! Try anything stupid and I’ll beat your ass”! The noise stopped and it felt like he was holding his breath for an eternity. He listened closely until it started back up again, “Shit”! Billy quickly opened the door and ran out of the school; It seemed like it was running towards him. He didn’t dare to look back; he rather not know what was chasing him. He spotted an abandoned house and went to it; the door was opened. He slammed it shut and locked it, he was not the one to show fear but this was too much. 

He walked around to see if someone was there. There wasn’t so far, he wanted to give up but made his way up the stairs. “Hello? Please someone answer me dammit!”, he sat on a bed hopelessly. How did he end up here? Was he the only one alive in this place? Tears were threatening to fall but the ground started rumbling underneath him. He went to a window to see what was going on; From away he couldn’t make it out but, it seemed like a bunch of tiny ants. The closer it got the clearer it got. 

He could hear screeches of all sorts as the ground rumbled some more. He started lose balance and ended up falling onto the floor, he lifted himself up slowly while rubbing his side. He heard the same slithering noise from before and it felt like his heart was going to stop; His eyes went wide as he looked up. Before he could do anything, he blacked out. “Billy", he jumped up and started to look around frantically. Everyone was sending him weird looks and whispering to each other. “Are you ok, you were just screaming out of nowhere”, Takeo was looking at him with worry. He felt his face and realized that he was crying. 

Billy hurriedly stepped over everyone and made his way out of the auditorium; Takeo followed suit.


	7. Chapter 7

“Moving?! When did she tell you that”? Finn leaned down to tie his shoe, “Last night before I left her house. I don’t think I can handle a long-distance relationship Kevin”. The boy patted him on the back and laughed, “There’s plenty of girls here Finn, and I bet you won’t be lonely for long. If you’d like, we can go out tonight”. “Hey, you two- Get off your asses, practice is about to start”! Finn stood up and walked over to the fence with a smirk, “Well if it isn’t our All-star. Don’t pop a vein kid we’re coming”. 

Kevin and Finn went on the field to join the others; Dempsey shook his head. He went back to the base and started to stretch. After stretching, he stood up and adjusted his glove. A man from the sidelines blew a whistle, “Alright! I don’t want any foolishness today; we have to keep our winning streak. Let's strive to be better than we were last year”! “Yes coach”! The man blew the whistle again and they started practice. 

Some time passed and they were getting riled up. Dempsey and Kevin were staring each other down, “What? Too scared to throw a ball, or you think that I’ll actually take this one”? Kevin wore a smug look on his face that Dempsey wanted to soo badly punch. “Don’t get too fucking cocky Kev’. We all know who’s the better player here”. He scoffed and raised the bat ready to knock it out of the park, “Yeah, well I’ll show you...”. Dempsey smirked ready to win this round until, he heard the same voice from his dream. 

It looked like he was a statue and it made Kevin snort. “Dude, are you going to throw the fucking ball or are we going to be here all day”? He blinked and shook his head lightly; he got ready to throw it again until he felt something touch shoulder. He got startled; He reacted by accidently throwing the ball at another player, the boy fell backwards while holding his nose. “Shit”, Dempsey and the other players rush to the boy on the ground. “I’m so fucking sorry, I-I don’t know what came over me”! 

The boy assured Dempsey that it was okay but, that didn’t stop him from feeling major guilt; The coach ordered someone to take him to the nurse. “Take five everyone...I need a word from our All Star here”! Everyone ran to the sidelines to rest while Dempsey and the coach were on the field. “What the hell was that Dempsey! That could earn you a suspension right there”! “I know but, It wasn’t intentional”! He looked at Dempsey in disbelief, “It wasn’t...You could’ve broken your team mates' nose! For the rest of practice, I want you to sit out on the sidelines and come up with a damn good apology”. 

Before Dempsey could respond the whistle was blown alerting the others to get back on the field. Dempsey sat on the sidelines while watching the others practice, it made him upset but not at his coach but at himself for reacting that way. “I’m a fucking idiot....”, he groaned and put his head in his hands. When the coach wasn’t looking, he decided to slip away and go back into the locker rooms. When he arrived, he could hear water running, he peeked his head into the bathroom and seen Nikolai. 

“Comrade”, he smiled at Dempsey while turning the water off. He noticed the sad look on his friend’s face and showed concern, “You ok there Dempsey...”? “I um...”, he didn’t know where to start; It was just a lot to explain. “You know what never mind, I just had bad moment that’s all”. Nikolai knew it wouldn’t be good to push further knowing his friend’s short temper. “Okay well Nikolai is going to meet up with the German and Takeo”. Dempsey lit up at this; Maybe he could talk to Edward about what’s been going on. 

Nikolai open the door, “Wait nik! I’m coming too”. Nikolai looked at him and chuckled, “That’s fine by me but you should change comrade.... You reek of sweat”. Dempsey rolled his eyes and smiled, “Fuck off”. After 10 minutes Dempsey came back with a duffle bag on his shoulders, Nikolai got up and headed to the door. “Ready”? Dempsey nodded and they both exited the locker rooms. The lunch room was packed, you could hear music playing as soon as you entered. Nikolai spotted Takeo at a table with Edward and Billy. 

“Takeo”, Nikolai quickly scooped the smaller boy up and gave him a tight hug. Takeo face turned beet red as he scrambled to get out of his grip, “Get off of me nikolai”! Nikolai laughed at him in return. Dempsey sat beside Edward who was too busy reading a book to notice he was there. “What are you reading”? Edward didn’t respond which made Dempsey lean closer to repeat himself, Edward being the dork that he is flinched and had a horrific look on his face. Dempsey burst out laughing which made Edward flick him on the forehead. 

“It’s not nice to scare people dummkopf”. Edward closed the book and gave Dempsey his full attention, “To answer your question- It was a book explaining the theories of the universe. There are so many secrets that has yet to be unveiled! It’s so...so fascinating”! Edward eyes always lit up when he talked about this type of thing; It always made Dempsey soft. “I’ve got to say Edward, you really are a dork”. Dempsey always knew how to ruin the mood; his key weapon was his mouth. Edward eyebrow twitched as he restrained himself from hitting him, “What do you want American”? 

“Cheer up Eddie I was only kidding”. Dempsey suddenly was serious now, “I need to get something off of my chest. I’d thought that you would be the only one to understand this type of thing”. Edward furrowed his brows and urged Dempsey to continue. He avoided eye contact and fumbled with the strap of his duffle bag, “I know this will sound crazy but, ever since the year started, I’ve been hearing a voice...only one specific voice and It’s driving me insane. It even caused me to almost break my teammates nose today”! “It’s been speaking cryptically...telling me that I need to prepare myself and that they’re coming...”. 

He slowly looked over at Edward; His eyes were slightly widened, “You almost broke someone’s nose...”? Dempsey placed his hands on his shoulders, “Please Edward, is there anything you can do to help me”?! Edward wasn’t so sure what to make of the situation but he just didn’t want to leave him hanging so, he agreed to help him. “I’m no doctor but I’ll try my best to help you”. Dempsey sighed of relief and grabbed Edward hand while looking at him, “Thank you so much Edward, I owe you one”! Edward heart started to flutter; He was falling again. 

Billy was staring at them with an Irritated expression, “Since you’re willing to help our dear, Dempsey here- maybe I can fucking get a few words of encouragement as well”. He sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, “I had this nightmare and it’s been replaying in my head ever since. I’ve never seen anything fucking like it”. They both looked at him, “Hearing what Dempsey had to say, it seems like it’s a sign that something big is coming...also there was this creature chasing me”. “Creature...? Billy, are you sure that sounds phony as hell”! 

“It’s true”! Edward seemed like he was stuck in time hearing what Billy had to say; He was for sure he wasn’t going crazy. Edward scrambled to get his stuff together which made everyone at the table look at him weirdly. Dempsey grabbed him by the arm, "Did we say something wrong Eddie-”, before rushing out of the cafeteria, he had a panicked look on his face and spoke in a whisper. 

“We’re in danger”.


	8. Chapter 8

“This is blasphemy! How do you expect me to give them all of this in two days”?! The lady pushed her glasses up and sat up straight, “Mr. Shaw, I’m only doing what I’ve been told. Please try to work around it”. He grumbled to himself and grabbed the ton of papers off of the counter. “Need some help there”? He suddenly felt the pressure lift off of his arms, “Ah thank you Bruno. They’re killing me here”! The bigger man chuckled as he walked behind Shaw; they exited the staff room. “Why do you have so many papers”? “You think that’s all of it? Wait until you see the rest”. Shaw rubbed his face as they walked down the hall, “They expect them to finish a two  100-page packets in two days. Worst of all I’d have to grade them”!

“Don’t stress out too much Shaw, just find a way to even it out”. As soon as they neared the classroom, they were immediately hit with screaming. Bruno and Shaw entered the classroom; Bruno sat the papers on the desk and wished him good luck. He stood in front of the class and watch the chaos happen before him, “Let’s get this over with”. He grabbed the megaphone from under his desk and spoke into it, “Alright you imbeciles, take your seats and quiet down”! 

They all rubbed their ears from how loud the megaphone was; Shaw smiled because it came in handy for once. He sat the megaphone down and began teaching. “Where’s your girlfriend”, Finn looked beside him. Far....FAR away from here is all he could think, “She’s not here anymore”. “Oh”, was all they could say. Finn turned to face them fully, “Do you think being in a long-distance relationship will be good”? “You’re asking the wrong person that question buddy”. “Just answer it Handsome”.

Billy matched his posture now and stared him in the eye, “I wouldn’t know because I’d simply wouldn’t have time for that shit. I wouldn’t want to be stressing out over that shit. Lastly, I need some fucking space”. Finn leaned back in the chair and held his head in his hands, “Well shit...”. Billy just shrugged, “I gave you an answer didn’t I”? Finn smiled hopelessly, “Yeah...yeah you did. Now that I think about it, is that why you avoided coming to school on valentine's day”? 

Billy nodded, “I don’t need that shit on my conscious, people can show affection towards their significant other that’s fine. I just don’t see the purpose of being in a relationship especially NOW”. “It’s not all that you make it out to be...that one person will come around and change your views entirely”. Finn smiled to himself which made Billy give him a weird look, “Uh huh...whenever they decide to finally come, I’ll make sure they’ll regret making me wait”. Finn was going to retaliate but they heard someone clear their throat loudly, “Focus please! We’re about to go over a very important assignment”. 

She looked in the dressing room mirror to make sure that her hair was okay. She tried to smile but it instantly dropped as her mind wander off to earlier. “ _ What’s your problem?! You said that you would keep this between us”! She stared at him with her arms crossed, “I was only trying to help-” “No you weren’t Jessica! You’re basically using him as a way to get to me”. She pretended to be dumbfounded, “I have no Idea what you’re talking about Eddie”. He looked a little hurt, “This isn’t a joke- I don’t want to be forced to tell someone how I feel about them because you’re hurt that I won’t help you”! He didn’t stop there, “Grow up and accept the fact that you’re not going to always get what you want in life. I can’t believe after everything I’ve done; this is how you repay me”??? “I should be thanking you? Maybe you should be thanking me for considering you as a friend when no one else did”!  _

_ There was complete silence now, Edward turned his attention to the floor. Tears were threatening to fall, “Edward I’m sorry I didn’t.... I didn’t mean it”, her voice started to crack. She tried to reach out to him but he pushed her hand away, “No you’re right. Thank you for being my friend when there wasn’t anyone else who would give me a chance”. Before she could stop him, he already left. “ _ Jessica”, she hurriedly wiped the tears away and got up to open the door. A girl with a clip board was standing in front of her, “I just came here to let you know that rehearsals will start in 5”. She nodded, “I’ll be out before then. Thank you”. They closed the door leaving Jessica alone with her thoughts.

It was the end of the day now and everyone was standing at their lockers packing up. “Scarlett”, she looked up to see the boy handing over a piece of paper. She slowly took it, “Thanks...what’s this for”? “It’s my number. I’d thought it was best to keep in touch even after school”. She placed the paper in her bag and made her way to the entrance, “Thanks, I'll make sure to keep in touch”. He decided to follow her all the way to the entrance, “You know it’s not safe for a pretty girl as yourself to walk home alone. I could provide you protection senor”. This made her laugh, “What makes you think that I can’t protect myself...? Foremost, what makes you think that I need someone to walk me home now even though I've been doing this way before I knew of your existence  Diego ”. 

Ouch that came out a little harsh but, he chuckled and put his hands up. She patted him on the shoulder and walked off, “Thanks but no thanks”. He couldn’t help but laugh a little as he watched her leave. “Aren’t  ya that new kid? I’ve seen you earlier with Scarlett”, he turned around to be met with a girl with long pigtails. He extended his hand, “I’m assuming that you’re very familiar with Ms. Scarlett”? “Yeah, always have been. I’m Misty by the way”. “Diego”. She sighed, “She can be a tough nut to crack but she’ll start  warming up to  ya ”.

“Misty, I thought you were coming to the afternoon meeting”! She yelled back, “No you guys go right on ahead; Tell coach that I can’t make it today”! She turned back to Diego, “So are  ya just standing here, waiting on the bus, or  ya parents”? “I was about to leave actually. I live near the local mall so, it’s a pretty long walk”. Misty lit up at this and urged for him to follow, “I live around there too, we can walk together”! He followed suit, “You said you were  _ familiar _ with Scarlett, right? Maybe you can tell me more about her”. Misty nodded, “Sure but first, let’s take a tour. It’ll be best to get  ya familiar with everything”.

He grabbed his stuff and exited the car, “See you around comrade”! Dempsey waved goodbye before walking away, Takeo hopped in the front seat and put on his seatbelt. “Remember You’re not on a race track”, Nikolai assured him he would drive slowly; They drove off. Dempsey knocked on the door after a few moments, his mom greeted him with a smile. “How was school today”? “It was okay”, he said as he sat down. She ran her fingers through his hair, “My baby’s blonde  locks are fading. Now you’re becoming a brunette”. She sat down and switched the tv on in the kitchen, “Now you all look like triplets”. 

Two boys came down the stairs, “Welcome back bro”. “Thanks, john”. John put his coat on and grabbed the keys from off of the hook, “Mom me and Jack are going to get more groceries if that’s fine by you”. She waved them off, “Yeah go go...just don’t wreck the car”! John looked over at Dempsey, “You coming”? Dempsey shook his head, “I’ll pass”. They both went out the door and left; The phone ranged and  Dempsey went to get it. 

“Dempsey’s Residence, Thomas speaking”. “Wow, when did you get so formal man”? He automatically smiled and leaned on the countertop, “Well  well well , never thought I'd hear from you again. How’s everything on the bright side”? You could hear them erupt into laughter, “Not as bright as I thought it would be”. Dempsey had a sad smile on his face, “Everything’s becoming such a pain in the ass ever since you left. I don’t have anyone to save me from that fucking old geezer”. “Professor Monty wasn’t that bad. You’re just a hot head”. 

Dempsey scoffed and rolled his eyes, they talked on the phone for 30 minutes; The other line went silent for a while. Dempsey broke the silence, “It was nice hearing from you again”. “You too....”. They sat some more before deciding to call it a night, “Alright um- I'll call more often and I’ll make sure to send gifts occasionally... Night “Tank”. “Back to you peter”, with that the call ended. His mom looked at him with her eyebrow raised, “Who was that? A girl that I haven’t met yet”? “Not even close ma- It was peter”. 

“ Ohhhh ! Honey I know it must sucks not having your old pal around”, she looked at him sadly. “It’s fine I mean; people move away all of the time, No big deal”. He hugged his mom goodnight and headed off to bed.

He sat in a steel chair with a note pad in his hands, watching the other’s movements. “There’s a reason why I left the Academy long ago,  richtofen . I just could feel a dark presence looming around each corner”. They flipped the board around to show polaroid pictures of different staff members. “Exhibit A, Mr. S... We barely see him outside of his office. What could he possibly be doing in there for 9 hours straight”?! Edward slowly raised his hand, he thought it was necessary and didn’t want to be rude. “Yes”? “Maybe I don’t know...his work”. 

“The answer I was expecting”. They pointed to another picture, “Exhibit B, Professor Monty. Many refer to him as a duck but I prefer a train wreck in disguise”. Edward looked into the nonexistent camera with a blank stare. “Exhibit C-” Edward interrupted him, “Do you possibly think that the school’s janitor is hiding something sinister”? They shrugged, “We may never know- which is WHY we won’t rest until we get to the bottom of this”! Edward started to lose hope every second he decided to keep sitting there.

“Samuel! We need to come up with a strategic plan that will not backfire. I don’t want this to blow up in our faces because of some crazy theories”. Samuel turned the light on and turned his projection off, “Don’t worry my fellow human. We will be able to overthrow all of the evil that threatens to force its way into our world”. He grabbed a folder and shoved it into Edward’s hands, “What is this for-” “ Shhhh , trust me all of your answers to your questions will be in there”. Edward slowly nodded and awkwardly walked out of the room. Edward shut the door gently, “It was nice of you to come over to keep our little  samuel company. W-we know that he can be a little  _ weird _ at times but he’s a good kid”.

A woman walked him to the front door; Rambling on and on about how nice it was for Edward to come. He turned around and smiled at her, “It’s completely fine- Thank you for inviting me in your home”. She nervously smiled as he left to go home. 


	9. Special Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the last chapter I'm posting until further notice but don't worry! It will not be for long-  
> Enjoy this weird chapter I thought of at the last minute.

He didn’t know why he was here nor he didn’t want know how he ended up there. Takeo look down at his outfit, “Hmmm not bad...not bad. At least my fashion sense isn’t dishonorable”. His hair was done nicely parted to side and slicked down; He had a neck scarf, red dress shirt, black disco pants, and white shoes on. He saw a line of people standing in front a large building, it looked like an Airplane garage. It might look dusty on the outside; he could tell that it was a whole different story on the inside. 

He slipped in line and waited like everyone else by the looks of it, he’ll be waiting for a while. “I can’t wait to see what they have in store tonight”! “Have you seen the way they move- More like have you heard the lead singer”! “His voice is so smooth and sensual”, Takeo couldn’t help but wonder who they were talking about. He looked up at the building and sighed, “Hopefully I can see why I'm here...”. 

Two large men were going down the line with a clipboard. They made their way through everyone and finally reached the young teen, “Are you Mr. Masaki”. “Yes...Is there a problem”? “Step out of line and come with us please”, Takeo did as he was told. He immediately became suspicious and kept his guard up; They were in front of the doors now. One of them opened the door to the building and motioned for the boy to go in, “The boss will be waiting for you inside”. 

“Okay....”, he slowly went through the entrance and the door closed behind him. He could hear the music a little more clearly now, he was more in awe with the way the lobby looked. A woman with long orange silk dress and diamond studded heels came up to him. “The boss has been expecting you sir please, come this way”. He followed her, he couldn’t help but admire her style and hair, “You have very pretty hair”. She blushed and smiled, “Why thank you”! 

They entered an elevator and she pushed the button at the very top; the music started to fade the higher they went. It stopped and the elevator doors open to reveal a large office, Takeo looked at the woman and she urged for him to go ahead. He stepped out and slowly walked to the huge desk, his jaw almost dropped to the floor. Was this.... was this real?! It must’ve cost millions to have this office decorated he thought to himself. 

“We’ve been expecting you Mr. Masaki”, their voice was a deep as hell. “We’ve seen what you were capable of- We are very intrigued by your talents”. Takeo was utterly confused now, “I’m sorry but there must be a mistake-” “We’ve been tracking your every move since we first landed our eyes on you”. “We offer you a grand fortune if you’re willing to work for us full time”. This seemed like a trap, he shook his head. “I’m sorry but I cannot accept your offer". 

There was silence, “Very well then...”. The large black chair spun around slowly to reveal a little girl with a hand puppet. Takeo jaw dropped for real this time, “B-but your voice”?! She cleared her throat and spoke, “My throat is still recovering from being sore”. Takeo held a straight face but it was threatening to fall after he heard her voice, it was just too adorable. “I- Maria Blake daughter of Famous entrepreneur Jacob Blake”! 

“I’m taking over for my father tonight. He left me in charge and now that I brought you here this is the perfect time to build my unstoppable army”! She pressed a button to reveal two gigantic teddy bears who looked like they were on steroids. This has to be a joke.... She looked for a reaction but instead Takeo broke out into laughter. He was hunched over laughing hysterically, “M-my apologies but I’m sorry miss”. 

She glared at him, “I’m serious- We can be unstoppable”! The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a man with a suit case. He had a grey suit on with slicked back brown hair, “What is going on here maria”! Takeo introduced himself, “I’m sorry sir, It seems I've been called here to be a personal security guard”. The man shook his head and sat the brief case down, “I hope there wasn’t any trouble. Everything is on the house tonight, I’ll let the staff know”. 

The man sent Takeo on his way after scolding his daughter for doing such a thing. Takeo was back at the lobby again, “Hey, that outfit of yours is groovy”. Takeo smiled; it was the same woman from earlier. He walked towards the singular door and put his hand on the handle, “Let’s see what’s behind this door...”. If Takeo only knew what he would be in stored for, He opened the door to reveal hundreds of individuals dancing. The music was booming, the dj was at the very front having a good time. 

There was a large floor with different colored tiles in the center of the club. There was a lounge section, a bar, there were dancers on a specialized stage design for them, a large disco ball was spinning in the middle of the place, and everyone was dressed in flashy outfits. Takeo made his way through everyone as best as he could and sat down in the lounge section. Not even going to lie, he was skeptical but now he was enjoying himself a little. 

Someone bumped into him by accident, “Sorry I didn’t see you there”! He brushed off his shoulder, “Don’t worry it’s fine.... Albert”? The other blinked at him and smiled, “you look as if you’ve seen a ghost”. Takeo was dumbfounded now, Al pulled him up and started to drag him to his section; “Takeo you’re here”! Jessica, Edward, Scarlett, Misty, Billy, and some people he knew but didn’t talk to, were sitting with them. 

Takeo sat down slowly in disbelief, “I didn’t know you all were here also”. “Where else would we be on a Saturday night? Plus, we came here to enjoy the show”! “Show”, Takeo asked while grabbing a Juicebox. Billy rolled his eyes and smile, “Of course you wouldn’t have a clue because your ass doesn’t come out”. Edward cut in, “Don’t worry this is my first time too Takeo”. All of them were having a good time tonight. 

The loud screeching noise could be heard through the speakers as the music stop. You could hear everyone question it, “Attention all of my groovy ladies and my smooooth gentleman. Thank you for coming out tonight, we hope you’re enjoying yourself. Now, we know all of you’ve been wondering where they were.... don’t worry, you don’t have to wait any longer”! Everyone started to cheer loudly especially the girls, “Guys, here they come”! 

The disco ball started to spin again and the crowd started to get riled up, Takeo continued to sip on Juicebox waiting for the BIG reveal. (Insert “Monamie- Say To Me” Le Phunk Edit), The music started up slowly until it got louder and louder, A light shined on the dance floor to reveal 6 boys standing in a straight line. Jessica basically squealed, “There they are”! Takeo looked over still sipping on his juicebox, when his eyes landed on the boys he nearly spit out his juice everywhere. 

He ran over to the railing as fast he could, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was his friends/classmates: Dempsey, Finn, Nikolai, Marlton, Diego, and Kane. They were performing effortlessly; Dempsey was the one leading the song this time. There were people fainting left and right from what Takeo saw, “Please tell I’m dreaming-” Takeo looked over at the others: Jessica was basically on here knees fanning herself, Scarlett was in a daze, Billy...looked like he was going to faint, and Edward shared the same reaction as Takeo. Al was dancing along with a cup of juice in his hand. 

As they were performing Nikolai looked up and Immediately locked eyes with Takeo. He smirked and gave him a small wink before looking back into the audience. What were these feelings erupting inside of him, it felt like he got butterflies all of a sudden... Takeo looked away blushing madly. Edward was having trouble trying to compose himself, “I'm going to go find the restroom”. They walked beside each other trying their best not to step on anyone. Edward was trying to get through the crowd but it was hard to. 

He almost fell until he was caught by the waist, he was immediately pulled back up. He started apologizing but froze when he realized it was Dempsey who had caught him. It felt like they were staring into each other’s eyes for an eternity; Dempsey smirked at him, “Woah, you ok? Luckily, I was there to catch you”. Edward seemed like he was hypnotized, “Marry me...”. Dempsey raised his eyebrow and laughed. “Oh no...”, Takeo thought to himself. He had to get out of there now or he’d regret it, he was going to get the others but to his luck they were already sucked in. 

The song ended and everyone clapped and cheered, Takeo was still trying to get away until he was pulled back. “Why didn’t you let nikolai know that you were coming tonight”? His heart started pounding against his chest, Takeo avoided eye contact and mumbled, “I decided at the last minute to come...”. When he thought the night couldn’t get any weirder, a slow jam started playing; Takeo deeply scowled. In the corner of his eye, he notices Billy and Finn getting a little too comfortable with each other; Was Billy blushing...? Takeo looked up and seen Diego hugging Scarlett from behind while dancing, Jessica and Kane were nowhere to be found, Marlton and Misty were being all lovey dovey. 

His eyes widen when looked back over at Edward and Dempsey; Dempsey was leaning in to kiss Edward! Before he seen more happen, his view was completely blocked by other dancers. He was suddenly twirled out of nowhere and returned back to his partner. Nikolai looked down at him with a soft smile, his eyes seemed so full of emotion; Takeo couldn’t look away at the moment. “I like this side of you better. You’re more relaxed, willing to let go for once”. Nikolai then brought Takeo hand up and held it gently while closing his eyes, “Ever since I landed my eyes on you Takeo....I knew that what I felt for you was something that I've never felt before”. 

Takeo was about to burst, this wasn’t nikolai speaking- Nooooo this was all a misunderstanding! A big misundertanding..... Before Takeo could respond nikolai pulled him closer and started leaning in; He was screaming internally but he didn’t make a single move. Why was his body not responding to him! Was this really happening...he closed his eyes waiting for what’s to come. 

A bell rang through his ears making him jump up in surprise, he looked around a realized that he was at the Academy. He slowly looked around to see everyone packing, he got up and sighed...It was only just a dream.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just took a small break lol; I'm just too invested in this story to not post frequently.  
> Anyways back to our regularly scheduled program.

“Surprise, we brought you your favorites! A strawberry short cake along with a regular vanilla milkshake”! She looked at them tiredly and stepped aside; she still had her pajamas on, her hair was everywhere accompanied by the dark bags under her eyes. “come in”, she said while yawning; The three boys stepped inside and took off their coats and shoes. “You stay in this big house alone”? She nodded and walked up the stairs while sipping on her milkshake, “ Well my parents are out most of the time so, it doesn't bother me....What are you guys doing here today? Don’t you have better things to do on a Friday morning”? 

“Actually, we d-”, he got a hard jab in the stomach which made him fall over in pain. Sometimes he doesn’t know why he puts up with him, “We came over in request of someone but most importantly we wanted to check up on you”. She smiled at him and sat on her queen size bed, “Aww you guys didn’t have to go out of your way for me”. Floyd sat down beside her, “It’s the least we could do princess”. 

She shoved him lightly, “You said that someone sent you over on their behalf”? Nero spoke up, “Yeah! We don’t know who that guy is but it seems like he was really worried about you. tragic if you ask me”. “You’re the definition of tragic Nero”. Vincent laughed while Jessica shot him a glare, “Could you quit being an asshole”. Floyd noticed all of the posters on her wall: Famous Broadway musicals, actors, singers, and directors. He got up and went to get a closer look at the posters; there was a small flyer that caught his attention, “You’re going to be performing this fall”. 

He looked over at Jessica who was stuffing her face with the cake they brought over. She swallowed it before speaking, “Yeah! Well...I think I am- Should I”? The boys looked at each other not knowing what to say, “That’s your call Jess”. “I know it’s just that I have to go through the audition process first and that’s a real pain in the ass”. She looked down at the cake in her lap, “I always got the lead part and you guys know that but now...that might change and I don’t know to come to accept it...”. Vincent shrugged while eating some more cake, “You lack confidence”. 

“You’re telling me that I lack confidence”? He nodded, “Why are you so scared of someone replacing you? Maybe you’re just a selfish brat and don’t want to let anyone else outshine you”. He walked over to throw his plate in the bin, “I’m Jackie Fucking Vincent and no one could ever top me! They could try all they want. In my mind, I know I can do sooo much better”! Floyd shook his head and glared at him, “What?! I’m right and we all know it”! Jessica wanted to squeeze the everlasting life out of him but deep down she knows he’s right. 

Nero looked out of the window as he heard people cheering outside. It was a street performer, he immediately forgot about the others in the room and silently watched the performer. They seem to pull a long object out of a box, it was an umbrella. They opened the umbrella but nothing happened; The people looked in anticipation. They closed the umbrella again and open it; a bunch of pigeons flew from under it this time ; they clapped as the performer bowed. 

He was impressed to say the least, he wrote the trick down as a mental note. Floyd went over to Jessica and patted her head, “We’re going to get out of your hair now. Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything”. “Yeah well he’s speaking for Nero not me”. Floyd grabbed Vincent by his shirt collar and dragged him out of the room, Nero quickly followed. 

“Billy”! The boy came from the back room and made his way to the kitchen, “Yeah”? There were four men sitting at the table playing cards. One of the men motioned for Billy to come to him; He was standing beside the man now. “Listen kid, take this. I need you to go make a run for me while I’ll handle business here”. The man gave Billy a stack of cash and he pushed down in his sock, “You got the list”? Billy nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket; the man smiled and patted him on the back, “Good. Remember, stay sharp and watch your back at all times”, the man was dealing out the cards now. 

Billy went to the back of the small apartment; He sat on the bed putting his shoes on. You could hear the music playing throughout the place but, the men seem to overpower it with their laughter. The teen grabbed his jacket and threw it on; He made his way out of the apartment. He was instantly hit with the cool air as he got onto the front porch. He looked both ways before making his way down the sidewalk. 

He was used to running errands all of the time, it didn’t bother him one bit. He learned not question it because sticking your nose somewhere it shouldn’t be, will instantly get you into some shit. Most of the time, he got a bonus; it was a side job for now. He opened the glass doors to the local market; it wasn’t packed like the last time. He grabbed a cart from the front and started to make his to the frozen food aisles. As he made his way through the store, there was something watching his every move. 

He picked up a roll of hamburger meat and threw into the cart. Something fell over which made some other people plus Billy look to see what it was. Like always you just mind your business and pretend you don’t see nothing. “The workers will get it”, he went into one of the aisles to get another item on the list. He stopped midway and sat the list down in the cart. Now he was looking for a pack of bread, “You got to be fucking kidding me”. He looked around only to find no one; he was just going to have to skip over it. 

He moved to the next item but that was too high for him to reach. This was embarrassing but he didn’t want to deal with this later. He doubled check for people until, he realized it was clear. He started jumping up and down several times but failed. He was too focused on getting the bread that he didn’t see someone beside him, “If you needed help you could’ve asked”. He stopped and looked over, “I don’t need any help from no one. I was close to getting it down”. “Barely”, Billy snatched the bread from Finn and walked off with his cart. 

“What brings you here this early”? “I come to the grocery store every morning, pick a random cart and push it around for fun”. “Really”, Billy looked at him in disbelief. “No! I had to pick some things up for my household”. Finn laughed it off, “Calm down, I was just kidding handsome”. “It’s getting hard to tell when you say stupid shit like that”. He knew that he should be offended but he wasn’t. “Don’t you have things to get instead of following me around”, Finn rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I did but it was just something to snack on. I was getting ready to leave until I saw this short mid- boy trying to reach the top shelf and realized it was you”. Billy had everything now with Finn’s help and now they were at the front checking out, he paid the cashier. Finn started to help grab some of the stuff, “.... You know you can leave Finn. I can handle this on my own”. The boy continued grabbing the stuff and walked out of the store with it. 

Billy grabbed the receipt from the cashier and ran out of the store; Finn was standing in the front waiting for him, “I don’t know where you live so I’ll just follow”. Billy thought about this for a moment. He knew it wasn’t a good Idea to bring the boy along but it was less work for him. Billy started walking down the sidewalk and Finn immediately followed, “I’m actually glad I bumped into you, I get to see where the notorious Billy Handsome lives”. “If you start showing up at random times, I will kill you Finn”. 

A few minutes of walking, they finally made it in front of the small apartment. Billy went to grab the groceries but Finn backed away. He growled lowly, “What the fuck are you doing”? Finn smiled innocently, “I’ll take them I-” “No”. They looked at each other not making a single move, “Give me it”! “No”. Billy was getting ready to blow and neither of them would want that; Billy continued to reach for the groceries but Finn kept dodging him. There was no way in hell he would let Finn inside of his home; he didn’t do it before and he wasn’t going to do it now. 

Finn was having the time of his life terrorizing Billy, He grabbed one of the cans out of the bag and threw it at the door. “What fuck is your problem”! Finn knew that Billy would do everything in his power to keep him away. The door opened prior, the man looked down at the can and scrunched up his face. Billy sighed and glared the idiot beside him, “Who the fuck is throwing cans at the door...how many times-” Billy cut in, “It was all me Sal. The can accidently hit the door”. Finn cut in and introduced his self, the man looked at Billy in returned. “Well hurry up and get the stuff setup so we can get the shit cookin”. 

The man went back into the apartment and Billy slowly turned to Finn, “Listen here- You don’t talk nor touch anything got it. And you immediately get the hell away from here when you finish setting the groceries down”. Billy pushed him inside and close the door behind them, Sal was in the kitchen cleaning his hands off. “I got everything off of the list. Here’s the money back”, Sal nodded and took the money. “What happened to laying low Billy”? “I um...I did it’s just...”, he was having a hard time making up an excuse, “It’s my fault. I came even though he told me he was fine”. 

Billy eyebrow twitched as he continued to looked down. Sal looked to Finn who was still setting up the groceries and placing the bags away. He slapped a hand towel over his shoulders and started to set the stove. “You’re here now so, might as well make yourself comfortable kid”. Finn lit up at this while Billy immediately intervened, “He was getting ready to le-” “Thank you sir for letting me spend time here”. “Billy never brought anyone back home before. I don’t do this a lot but since you’re a friend of Billy's, I'll allow it”. Don’t be showing up whenever you feel like it though...we ain’t that close”. Finn nodded and assured him he wouldn’t; Billy wanted to crawl in a hole and stay there. 

She entered a dim lit room and closed the door behind her. She knew not to turn the light on unexpectedly...it would be a disturbance. “I’ve brought you some hot tea. I’ll just set it on the table and be on my way”. There was no response which made her sigh a little, she knew that he was deeply invested into his research. She was beginning to take her leave but she turned around, “I know that you’re very busy right now but I was thinking that I share some of the research that I've made...”. She nervously laughed, “I know it’s not much but I feel like it could help you and provide more information”. 

The curtains danced lightly as the wind flew in, the sounds of the cars outside made the silence bearable. “I know that you feel like I shouldn’t get involved but I’m not that reckless little girl anymore. I want...I just want you to have a little faith in me- To tell me that I can come with you. Someday...you’ll have to let me go”. She balled her fists and stared straight ahead, “Just because she’s gone doesn’t mean you’ll lose me too”! Still no response, she immediately went to the desk and spun the chair around, “ARE YOU EVEN LISTE- 

She immediately stepped back in horror they were slumped in the chair staring back at her with bloodshot eyes. She slowly started to hyperventilate, everything around started get hazy. “We didn’t want to have to do this but, we’re left with no choice”. She turned around quickly but was knocked unconscious. The went over to the old looking chest near the desk and opened it. It was filled with valuable treasures but they only came looking for one thing. A beeping noise displayed itself and they pressed the button on their ear piece. “I’ve succeeded in getting the artifact with no trouble”. 

“Unfortunately, his daughter walked in before I could get it”, they kneeled down to check her pulse; She was still breathing. “It seems to me that it would be best to keep her detained...she could be a valuable asset”. They sat in silence before pressing the button again, they looked over at the unconscious girl, “Nothing personal...I’m just fulfilling my end of the bargain”.


	11. Chapter 11

She picked up one of the chickens and started to stroke its feathers gently. Dempsey was leaning on the fence watching the animals run around on the farm, “I didn’t really think that you would come considering you live far from here”. “I thought that I should pay otis and sally a visit. We haven’t been over to see you guys in a while...especially like this”. She sat the chicken down and tied her hair up, “Well I know that ya busy doing your thing now and you just simply don’t have the time like you used to. Ma and Pa been asking about you for ages”. He laughed, “Really? I thought that they would be glad that I wasn’t coming over every single day anymore”. 

She looked at him, “Mmm not really, they thought that you were great at helping us keep the animals in line. Plus, pa missed talking about his times in the army with you”. She went over to join him behind the fence, “Still considering on joining the marines after school”? He nodded, “Yeah...I’ve been set up with a recruiter. They’ve been filling me in with more details about joining. The pros and cons... still didn’t change my mind though”. She leaned forward and smiled, “When you go, don’t forget about us. It’s going to be tough but I know that you’ll pull through”. 

He ruffled her hair, “I’ll make sure to keep in contact don’t worry”. She whistled for the dog to come to her, it was a golden retriever. She kneeled in front of the dog and started showering them with compliments. Dempsey kneeled down and did the same, the screen door opened to the house and another dog immediately tackled them both. “Otis get off of them kids and settle your butt down”, a man made his way to the chair on the porch. 

He sat down and sighed. The two women made their way onto the front porch also with plates of food in their hands. “Alright you two go and wash those filthy hands of yours. You’ve been touching them dogs so hurry up inside and come back out when you’re finished”. The dogs backed away and joined the others on the porch, Misty and Dempsey laughed as they went to go inside. 

He sat on his floor staring tirelessly at the blue print in front of him. He used the pencil as a guide while scanning over it. He tried to understand it but maybe it was too early for his brain to cooperate. He groaned as he threw the pencil in frustration, “This will never work! I have to think of something else”. There was a knock on the door, “Onkel Eddie- Es ist jemand an der Tür für Sie”! He heard her go down the stairs and immediately went out of the room. “Samantha, wie lange haben.....”, he noticed a woman at the door with tears streaming down her face. 

Maxis tried his best to calm her down; He saw Edward, “Sie scheint jemanden zu suchen.... ihr Sohn. Sie sagte, dass er seit ein paar Tagen vermisst wird”. Edward looked back at the woman as maxis continued to speak, “Ich glaube, Sie hätten keine Informationen darüber, wo er sein könnte”? Edward shook his head quickly and Maxis stepped aside; she locked eyes with the boy. “Are you Edward”, He nodded slowly. “I found this piece of paper with your name on it; It was on my son’s bed when I’d went to wake him up for school”. 

She sighed shakily, “When he wasn’t present in his room, I just thought that he may have left earlier than usual; I didn’t think much of it. When I came back home from work the house was empty so, I waited...and waited....and waited until it was damn near 12am”! She fumbled with the piece of paper and bit her lip; more tears fell. Edward felt bad for the woman but he still wondered where he fits into this. Samantha hid behind maxis while looking at the woman sadly, “Edward, Frage, ob sie ein Bild hat”. Edward nodded, “E-excuse me ma’am but would you be able to provide a picture of some sort”? 

She nodded and quickly grabbed a photo out of her front pocket, “Please I just need someone to let me know something”! Edward grabbed the photo and looked at it; his eyes looked like they were bulging out of his head. Maxis looked at him with concern, “Edward what’s the ma-” “Ich kenne ihn...”, he gave the women back the photo. “Maxis Ich muss mit Ihnen privat sprechen. Ich versuche nicht, unhöflich zu sein, aber könntest du sie wissen lassen, dass wir später zu ihr zurückkommen werden”, he stared at the boy and slowly nodded. 

“I’m so sorry. If we come across any information, we will immediately call you”. “Thank you...”, she tried her best to show a smile. Maxis waved goodbye before closing the door. Samantha slowly came out from hiding, she looked at them both in question. Maxis sent Samantha to her room while he told Edward to follow him. They both sat down at the dining room table, “I don’t know how to start...so I'll try my best”. Maxis looked for him to continue, “Her son goes to the Academy and occasionally helps me for one of my classes. His name is Albert Arlington....and I’m afraid that he’s in danger”. 

“Danger...? Edward what do you mean danger- Did you have something to do with it”? “Nein! Ich wäre nie in einen so tragischen Vorfall verwickelt”, Edward looked him straight in the eye. “We saw something in the Academy. I thought that I was seeing things but now I know that Al is missing, they most likely kidnapped him”! “They? Edward I’m not understanding-” “It was a creature of some sort possibly posing as a human staff member”! Edward eyes were wide but maxis thought that the boy had completely gone mad. 

“Why did I let you stay up to watch sci-fi films...”, Edward stood up and placed his hands on the table, “I’m serious maxis; There's something sinister going on at the Academy”! Maxis pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “Edward, as much as I want to believe you.... I just simply can’t accept that made up story”. “It’s not a sto-” “Edward! ...Enough”, The man looked at him with a stern expression. Edward quickly walked out of the kitchen and up to his room. 

He slammed the door shut and began pacing back and forth, “Come on Edward think! We’re simply running out of time here”! He remembered the folder that Samuel gave him; he dashed to his desk and opened the drawer. He pulled the folder out and held it up to his face, “I have to grab the others...”. He never would go against maxis wishes but he had to sneak out. He threw on his shoes and a jacket. 

He opened his window; making sure the papers wouldn’t fall out, he put the folder in the inside of his jacket. He was fully out but he had to be careful because he was on the roof. He closed his window gently and steadily made his way down. As soon as he got onto the ground, he took off to find the others.


	12. Chapter 12

Edward knocked on the front door hoping to get an answer. A few moments passed and a woman opened the door, “Oh! Edward how are you”??? He smiled at her and looked over her shoulder a little, “I’m fine Mrs. Masaki. I’m assuming that Takeo is in there....”? She nodded and yelled for the boy to come down; within a few seconds he came from around the corner and down the hall. He looked at Edward smiled, “Edward, I wasn’t expecting to see you today”. Edward couldn’t agree more but it seemed he would have to do this eventually. 

The woman left the two boys alone to speak, “The only reason you would come over is if it were extremely important”. “That’s it. That’s why I’m standing in front of you right now because I need you to come with me this instant”! Edward was making Takeo worried; He told him to stay at the door and wait for him to come back. Edward stood there and rubbed his hands together for some type of warmth. He knew he should’ve boughten a bigger jacket. Edward heard footsteps getting closer to him, it was Takeo fully dressed now. 

The boy closed the door and urged Edward to lead the way. They were speed walking down the street, “Where are we going now”? “To grab the others”. Takeo just nodded in confusion as they continued to walk. As they were passing the local park Edward spotted a payphone; He opened the door to it quickly. As he pulled the phone off of the hook, he searched his pockets for any spare change. “Damn it”, Takeo looked at with his eyebrows raised. “What’s wrong”? “I don’t have any change to put in the stupid machine”! 

Takeo began to search his pockets and ended up finding a few quarters, “Here use this”. Edward slowly took them; he silently thanked them. He put one in as he used the dial pad; It rang two times before someone finally picked up, “....Hell-” “Marlton! Oh Thank goodness that you picked up. Listen I don’t have much time but I need you to meet up with me asap”! The other was silent for a second but he spoke, “Okay...but where-” Edward quickly informed him on where to meet him and then ended the call. 

Takeo was about to speak but Edward kept dialing more numbers. Five minutes had passed when Edward finally decided to step out of the booth; He looked to Takeo and smiled, “Now that that’s finish shall we go”? Whatever was going on Takeo knew he’d be in for a ride. They were standing in the back of a house now, “Who’s house is this Edward”? “You’ll see..., Edward kneeled and knock on the small double doors. They waited until a muffled voice presented itself on the other side, “....What’s the code to enter”. 

Edward huffed not wanting to do it at the exact moment, “Come on this is urgent”! “What's. The. Code”. Takeo stood there in utter confusion, Edward cursed in German and sighed, He began to introduce himself in weird way and started to speak some type of gibberish. When he finished it went silent except for Takeo trying his best not to laugh. Edward rolled his eyes completely done. The doors were pushed open, they looked at each other. It was completely pitch black from where they were standing. 

Edward went in first, Takeo followed and closed the doors behind them. A figure sitting in a dark corner looked at them with a crazy stare, “My time has finally come”. Takeo looked at Edward with a weird look and he just shook his head in return. They turned the light on and went to get something from out a box. “What’s that”? “It’s specialized equipment that you’ll need. I’ve been working on them for months now”, Edward guided Takeo over to the two stools, they sat down on them. They watched as the other went back and forth to get different things. 

They eventually heard muffled voices, instead of knocking lightly like Edward told them. One of them started to bang on the doors like a maniac; Takeo ran to get it. “Wait”, Takeo stopped in his tracks and looked at them. “Edward you get it”. Edward looked at him, “Why do I have to”? “Just do it”, the boy slowly got up and went to the doors, “Grab that tape recorder- as you do so press play”. Edward didn’t know why this was needed but he did so anyways. 

To his surprise it was him on there saying the secret code, he almost dropped it out of embarrassment. He tried to press pause but none of the other buttons were working, it stopped eventually. Edward was a red as a tomato, both of the boys laughed. Edward went to open the doors only to find a group of kids staring back at him. Edward quickly turned around and went back to his seat, “Hey Edward It’s ok we all do dumb shit sometimes”, everyone laughed as they entered.


	13. Chapter 13

He had his feet kicked up on the desk; He laughed out loud at a random cartoon that was on. The door opened to the office, “I’m back- What are you doing”? He continued to laugh not paying the other any attention. He went to turn it off which made the man whine, “You act like such a child sometimes.... Its creepy”. He rolled his eyes and pushed his feet from off of the desk, “Well at least I don’t look older than I'm supposed to be”. He smirked as the other just shot him a glare, “Don’t push it”. 

He got up from his seat, “Should we pick up where we left off Dr.”? He nodded and picked up the book, “Let’s hurry I don’t want any time to be wasted”. He went to the bookcase on the right of him and pulled a particular book from the case; It opened as he did so. As they both walked in the case closed behind them, “You look stiff, loosen up a little”. “My apologies for not being able to float/levitate whenever I feel like it”. “Not my fault you are the way you are”. 

They reached the end of the stair case, it was dark. The Dr. went to pull a big switch down on the wall; you can make out everything now. From the looks of it, they weren’t in any ordinary room. “We need to open the portal after the sun sets on Monday, they shouldn’t be exposed to the sunlight as soon as they get here”. He nodded, "Where do you plan on putting the device”? “Somewhere secure so no one can tamper with it. As soon as it goes off.... everything will reset”. The man adjusted his scarf, “It’ll be my own perfect universe”. 

They were sure that nothing can go wrong- For centuries they waited, not able to execute their plan until now. “There’s a reason why I had my eyes set on this specific universe.... It’s becoming more and more damaged as we speak”. “How will you exactly make it any better Monty...As soon as they get here, they will be out for blood”. He looked at him, “I see it as I’m just making it better in my own little way. I don’t intend on things getting way out of hand”. He smiled to himself, “You will get your wish fulfilled do not fret. I won’t let anyone get in our way shadow”. 

They heard footsteps coming near them, Monty looked at the other confused. It was a woman; She had short jet-black hair that was neatly parted to the side. She threw something towards the man and he caught it, “Thank you for acquiring the artifact”. She nodded, “I believe I am no longer useful to you as of now”. She knew that she was brought here for one reason and that was to pay her debt. He stared at her for a moment and shook his head, “Not quite, there’s been a slight change...You’ll be bound to me for a very long time syra”. 

She looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head frantically, “N-no! What do you mean- you said that after this last task I will be free”! “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen”. She dropped to her knees pleading to him, all he could do was stare at her with a cold look. “You said that you’ll let me go! Plea-Please I’m begging you”, she was choking up now. Monty looked at the man, “Do what you have to but I must be going now”. Monty was on his way out of there but the girl latched onto his leg pleading with now. 

She was immediately pulled from him by a powerful force, “Now now there’s no need to make such a fuss”. Monty gave one final looked to them both before leaving. 

“Why the hell do we need these weird glasses...”? “Because you can see things that no one else can see. If something tries to sneak up on you, you will be able to catch it”. Dempsey nodded, “Do I have to wear these all day when we go back...”? “It’s best if you start now so you could get used to them. Warning when you first put them on you will get a major migraine”, they all groaned. Dempsey didn’t really want to put them on because he thought he would look stupid. 

He slowly put them on; When they were fully on, he instantly felt the migraine. Samuel looked at him and whispered, “You’re stronger than you think you are fellow human. Overcome this”. Dempsey gritted his teeth trying to deal with the pain, Edward slowly patted his shoulder from behind. “If it makes you feel any better...I-I think you look great with them on Thomas”. He lifted his head and tried his best to smile, “I don’t see how a compliment will take the pain away but it does feel a little better”. 

Edward gave him a small “Sorry” before putting his on. As soon as everyone put their glasses on, they were then handed mini hand-held devices, “Okay now what are these for”?! They’re called walkie-talkies, we can use them at any time to communicate with each other”. He demonstrated to them how to use them; Nikolai, Finn, and Dempsey were laughing as they kept playing with them; “Niner niner we need back up”! “We’re sending a chopper”! “Y’all better get on this bitch...we about to goooo”- Dempsey and Nikolai fell over laughing as Finn kept going on. (Lmao I’m sorry) 

Billy smacked Finn upside the head while glaring at him, “Now it’s not the time to be fucking stupid”! Finn laughed as he rubbed his head, “Cmon handsome it was funny”. Misty looked over at Marlton who was too busy wiping his down, “You know not everything you touch is infested”. “Yeah, I know but I can’t help it. It’s better to be safe than sorry”. “Okay then...”. They were given more things, Samuel double checked to see if they had everything. “Okay”, he went to the board and began going over his master plan.


	14. Chapter 14

It's been two days ever since Samuel went over the plan; They hoped that it would work. Edward sat a table with his head buried in a book. The glasses weren't a bother anymore but he did get a few stares from his fellow peers. "Edward", he looked up slowly to find Diego walking towards him with a worried look on his face. The boy earned a few shh's from the other people present in the library. He brushed it off and quickly sat down in front of him, "A friend of yours said that you would most likely be here. I came here because I'm looking for scarlett...have you by any chance seen her"? Edward sat his book down and shook his head, "No...I haven't seen her at all today. Maybe she's taking today off, who knows"? Diego looked down and silently cursed, "Maybe...thank you that is all". Before Edward could say anything else Diego got up and quickly looked to find Misty. "That was weird...", Edward picked up his book again and continued where he left off.

"All I'm saying is that you should let go of some of that pride you got and go from there". "Yeah, your ego is way too big". "It's not", they all rolled their eyes and went back to their work. Finn shook his head, "Maybe you're just too fucking blind to see it". Kevin leaned back in his chair a little and crossed his arms, "You were less of an ass when your girlfriend was around". Dempsey and Nikolai looked to Finn; His face seemed to drop at that. Nikolai spoke, "Nikolai's confused, I thought he was always like this"? Dempsey raised his eyebrow, "Why did she leave anyways"? Finn was twirling his pencil while looking out the window, "Her dad thought it was best if she went to school across the country but- I think I know the real reason why now...". 

Only the chatter from their fellow classmates could be heard as they sat there in silence. Dempsey leaned over and patted his shoulder, "Hey man don't let this get you down. Hell you never know- your soulmate could be the next person that walks through that door". Finn laughed to himself, "Oh yeah and who could that be"? As soon as he said that the door opened and to his surprise it was none other than Billy. They really were silent now; You could hear Kevin trying not to laugh. Billy looked over at them and they quickly acted like they were doing their work. "Billy Handsome and Michael O'Leary...It really is a match made in he-", he got a hard punch to the arm. 

"Shut the fuck up Kevin". Finn looked up to see Billy talking with the teacher, she looked over at Finn and nodded. Finn didn't know what was going on but he didn't know how to feel about it. Billy stepped away from the woman and made his way to the boys. Dempsey whispered with a smile and snickered, "Just act natural". Billy was finally in front of them now, "You three let's go". Kevin looked to the others who were just as confused as he is, "Did you fucking forget about everything we talked about? or are you just brain dead"?! They continued to stare at him dumbfounded until it finally clicked, "Ohhhhh Nikolai is very aware now". Dempsey, Finn, and Nikolai got up and followed Billy out of the classroom; Kevin felt left out and wanted to find out what they were doing. He made an excuse to get out of class and went to go spy on them.

"C-calm down Jessica it's only an audition-", she snapped her head towards him quickly and he snapped his mouth shut. He was completely out of words at the moment and he didn't know where to go from there. It looked like she was going to burst, she finally laid her head against the vending machine groaning. Takeo slowly rubbed her back, "Don't worry ms. rose you will do just fine in the auditions". Her shoulders started shake a little which made Takeo immediately worried, "W-what's wrong?! Did I say some-" She cut him off, "No you're alright it's just that I'm such a coward Takeo....". She lift her head up and smiled a little; Her makeup was a mess now, "I'm not scared that I won't make it through. I'm scared because I don't want to be put in the background". She wiped her face as tears continued to fall, "I was too wrapped up in my own ways that I was willing to do whatever it took to not let that happen".

Takeo continued to listen, "I don't want to do anymore damage than I've already have so I need to make things right". She smiled at him sadly while he returned it, "Everyone makes mistakes, you need to learn and grow from them. You will become well known for your talents one day, trust me". He pulled her in for a hug and she hugged back; They looked up to see a boy walking up to them. "J-jessica? Hi my name's kane. We have third period together". Takeo assured he would wait for her; He left the two to talk with each other alone. She sniffed and nodded slowly, "Yeah I know who you are....Is there anything I can help you with"? He pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to her, "It's better if you look at it later. I hope you're doing better now...You seemed a little stressed the pass few days and I couldn't help but wonder". "Are you the who sent floyd and the others"?

His cheeks started to flare up as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "S-sorry if it came off as weird but I didn't want to just randomly show up at your house"! She blinked at him and then started laughing, he immediately got redder. "It's fine I just never had anyone do such a thing before". Takeo was quietly watching until he felt a hand land on his shoulder, he turned around to see who it was. "It's time to go Takeo", he immediately nodded. "Give me a second, I have to let Jessica know I'll be leaving", Takeo went up to Jessica.

They immediately notice the boy; Jessica was smiling widely now, "Ready to go already"? "Yes I'm afraid so, I'll see you around. Good Luck at your Auditions". They waved goodbye to each other and Takeo immediately left with the others.


	15. Comeback. Comeback. Comeback. Comeback.

She got onto the stage as the audience cheered loudly. She stood in front of the microphone stand and tapped it lightly. "Hello everyone! I hope you're doing alright on this fine evening". She clasped her hands together and sighed, "Now I know it's been a minute and I haven't been around". As she was about to continue a group of people made their way onto the stage. "There's no time for this! The show would be coming to an end but you're slacking", they all looked disappointed. The girl rubbed the back of her neck and laughed nervously, "I know I know but hear me out-". "Look we don't caaaaaaarrreeee. We have things to do so wrap this shit up". She looked back into the audience sadly, "Sorry for my absence everyone. There's more to look forward to so, please stay tuned until the end of A.E Academy"! They all waved out into the audience before the tv switched off. The boy stood in front of the television with a shocked expression, "Heeeey I brought marshmallows- dude are you ok"? The boy looked at him and then back at the tv again, "Apparently there's a show about the academy and everyone's watching it"! "Duh dimwit you're one of the main characters", he popped a marshmallow in his mouth as the boy fainted. He looked into the camera and waved, "See ya tomorrow guys. Be sure to be on the look out for a new chapter"!


	16. Chapter 16

They were all standing in a circle with their equipment . They chose to meet up in the auditorium since it would be a less likely place to get caught. "Okay I say we have about 30 minutes max to get everything set up". "30 minutes?! We have to make sure everything is secured afterwards", Marlton looked at them all in worry. "We can't just rush through this, people's lives are on the lines here"! Billy sighed, "Yeah yeah we get it but, I tried to buy us as much time as possible. Be fucking thankful four eyes". "Hey! Ease up will ya...", Misty gave Billy a warning look. Takeo began, "It may not be enough time but we'll have to make it work. Always keep in mind to be careful and steady you all". They all nodded ; Edward pulled the folder out and held it in front of everyone. "Wait! I've acquired this from Samuel last week", he opened it and continued.

"This here are a bunch of research files and pictures that will give us much more information on what we're going up against". He pulled out several photos and laid them out on the floor; they looked at each other in confusion. "The school's janitor....", Finn looked at him with his eyebrow raised. Edward just shrugged and shook his head, "You may never know". Dempsey pointed to one, "I wouldn't be surprised if that bastard professor is the one behind this", Nikolai nodded. "Yes he is...very strange comrade". "Doesn't matter who's to blame- All I want is to get this shit over with and get on with my life". As they were getting ready to get everything set up, Misty heard something fall. "Something's wrong misty-", she shushed everyone and continued to listen.

She could hear someone whispering harshly until it stopped. She went to the entrance and opened the door where she immediately spotted the culprit. He tried to run but she immediately caught up to him and yanked him by the collar. He was now facing her with a terrified look as she stared him down, "M-misty how are you today??? I was just m-making my way back to c-class". She knew he was lying, "How long have you been there Kevin"? "Pffft whaaaat? I was just passing by and I heard voices in the auditorium. I wasn't there to SPY on you all or anything". She sighed and released him, "Look whatever you heard in there...forget it. It's best for you to not get involved okay". He dusted himself off and pouted, "I can take care of myself. Just let me help you guys out".

She was hesitant for a moment, "Come on it has to be pretty damn important right? If it's just you all then that's not enough so, please let me get in on this". He gave her puppy dog eyes and pouted playfully; She gagged a little and looked away. "Fine but if you screw something up", She leaned in and whispered. "I'll be ya worst nightmare bud", he smirked as she stepped back. "Don't worry I'll be under control", He started walking back to auditorium entrance and swung the doors open. "WHAT'S UP FUCKERS, YOUR FAVORITE PERSON IS HERE", misty facepalmed herself as she instantly regretted her decision.

She walked back in and made sure to locked the doors this time. They all looked at her, "Misty what the fuck?! Why is he here", she threw her hands up. "He basically knew half of what was going on already", She huffed and went back to her spot. Kevin looked at them all and smiled widely, "Don't worry it'll be fine~ I won't be an interference to your plan plus you'll probably need more people anyways". He crossed his arms and shrugged, "If it just you guys then that simply wouldn't be enough". "Well if WE aren't enough then who else should we bring huh"?

Kevin looked to them and smirked, "I know a few more people".

After their meeting they decided it was best to part ways and reunite later on; Kevin made his way to the gym. He hoped that he would be in there because the basketball team were supposed to be practicing today. He looked through the window and examined the gym closely. His eyes land on a boy with dark brown skin and short twists in his hair. He immediately smiled and opened the door; He practically ran up to the boy and gave him a hug, "Miles! Oh man, I'm so glad that you're here"! The boy shook him off and smiled, "Why are you so happy to see me kev"? Kevin let go and looked at him, "I need you to come to this place after school is over with". Kevin handed a piece of paper and he took it, "What's so important about coming here"? Kevin waved him off and exasperated playfully, "So many questions but so little time milessss. You'll find out when you get there kid just don't stand me up".

Miles shook his head while grabbing a basketball, "You're saying that like we're going on a date and heads up, I would rather go out with lucy". Kevin snorted, "Yeah and how did that end up? I don't think I'm that bad". They both laughed and Kevin waved goodbye before instantly calling out to him again. "Wait have you seen that girl around today...? You know the one that has those bright pretty eyes". Miles thought about it for a moment and shook his head, "Sorry man not today... Maybe try checking the music room". Kevin raised his eyebrow, "That's a pretty specific place. You haven't been spying on her have you"?

Miles rolled his eyes, "I just happen to see her from time to time in the music room. She always have the violin as her main instrument, she plays it really well. I can't really stop and watch her play because I have classes". Miles smiled to himself, "Maybe one day I could watch her play in silent. Though I don't want to make a bad first impression by being weird". Kevin snickered, "Well I'll leave you to your fantasy because I got a task to finish". He ran out of the gym leaving miles there shaking his head at him.

"You want us to do what exactly", Vincent looked at them both with a bored look. "We can't explain here just meet up with us and we'll discuss it later", Edward handed him a piece of paper. Nero took it and looked it over, "I don't know about this. Will this help me become a better magician in any way"? Dempsey and Edward looked at each other and shrugged, "I guess...". "Then I'm in". Dempsey looked over to Vincent, "What about you hot shot"? "I guess I'm in too. I get to show everyone how cool it is to be me". Dempsey started walking towards the lab doors and opened them; Edward quickly thanked them before he caught up with Dempsey.

As he was walking down the hall, he heard the voice again. _"They're getting closer as we speak. You must hurry and get the box.... That's the only way you can trapped the evil within"._ Dempsey stared at the floor with is eyes slightly widened as his breath hitched, "Who the hell are you and why won't you reveal yourself"? _"Save them....don't let them leave your side"._ He was frozen like a statue once again so many thoughts were forcing themselves inside of his head; It felt like everything was closing in on him all of a sudden. It felt like an eternity until a hand landed on his shoulder; he slowly looked up to see Edward. His face was plastered with worry and a little mix of sadness, Dempsey quickly composed himself. " I'm fine....Let's keep going I don't want us to drag behind", He started walking down the hall again. Edward just stood there, "I did say I was going to help you didn't I? You don't have to pretend you're fine around me American.

Dempsey stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Edward. Edward looked down while clearing his throat; He was trying his best to fight off the blush that was forming. He sighed and looked up and seen that Dempsey was less than a feet away now. His heart was racing as he was trying to regain his composure, "Get a hold of yourself Edward. You should be used to him by now"! Edward built up the courage and decided to look him in the eye, "We'll find the solution to your problem but, just know that I'm here every step of the way Dempsey. I won't dare to leave your side until you feel like I'm of no use to you anymore".

Dempsey was taken aback by this but instantly smiled at him. He knew that Edward had problems of his own that he didn't want to disclose: Still he chose to help him. He did notice something different though, Edward eyes held a strong emotion when he said that. It's like Dempsey was his main priority and he wouldn't stop until he was okay. Edward slowly got nervous as the other just stood there examining him. Before Edward could say anything else his hand was suddenly grabbed and dragged down the hall. Edward was confused but started to get embarrassed all over again. This only made Dempsey laugh to himself, "You're making such a big deal out of nothing Eddie. I'm only doing this because you walk too slow". They continued walking like that the rest of the way.

Billy stared in concentration as the other waited for him, "You don't have anywhere else to go friend". Billy ignored him as he continued to plan an escape, "I'm not losing a simple game like this. Not to you anyways". They were in the middle of playing Tic Tac Toe. Billy was in a jam but he wasn't ready to accept defeat so easily. Floyd walked up to them with his lunch, "Nikolai I didn't expect to see you here right now. Aren't you supposed to be in redwick's class"? Nikolai turned his attention away from Billy, "Too hectic right now, I'll just sit and waste away here da". "Fuck", they both looked over at Billy in confusion. The paper and pencil went flying across the room and Billy crossed his arms while huffing. Nikolai assured him he was fine so floyd brushed it off, "When is your next match? Nikolai must come see you in action"! Floyd shrugged as he bit into his sandwich, "I think they're putting me up for Friday's match".

Nikolai nodded and put his hand up, "I got exclusive access so don't worry". Billy looked at Nikolai suspiciously, "There's no need to be so secretive". Floyd apologized, "Sorry man it's just something that doesn't need to be put out there". Billy knew what he meant so he decided to not get offended, "Alright". "That reminds nikolai, can you meet up here after school today? It's special project and we need all of the help we can get". Nikolai pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and slid it across the table. Floyd nodded and took the piece of paper. The bell rung for next period to start for some of the kids, "we'll be waiting". Nikolai and Billy got up and bid their farewells and left floyd to finish his lunch.

_Even though they were all split up they still saw each other from time to time. They decided that it was best to gather more people themselves; Kevin wasn't someone who kept his word most of the time. They knew that this was their last and only chance that they could pull this off. With Time not being on their side they knew they had to act fast. As they are getting ready for the biggest event of their lives, there might not be many who will make it through the night. They have to be wise and careful with every choice they make because they don't know what's waiting for them on the other side of that portal._


	17. Chapter 17

He felt something wet splash against his face. He tried to feel what it was but it was no use because his hand were bound together. He couldn't see anything around him, only hear. "Hello? Is anyone there"?! He tried to wriggle himself free but all he got was nothing in return. He didn't remember how he got himself into this position but he didn't want to waste anymore time than he already have. He called out again but louder, "PLEASE IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ME"?! "Stop Yelling! That won't do anything but put us in more trouble than we already are". He gasped as he recognized the voice, he couldn't help but feel excitement. "S-scarlett! I'm glad to know that I'm not here alone", he smiled. She tried to move her arms also but she couldn't, "Who ever is involved with this will for sure pay"!

Albert sat there listening as the other was trying to get free. "Do you remember anything that happened before you got like this"? She stopped for a moment to rethink the events before. The last thing she remembered was the look on her father's face when she found him; Afterwards everything went blank. "Not much....We should just focus on getting out of here". She didn't know what was happening but she know she was only taken because of her father's connections. No matter how hard they try, she wouldn't tell them anything; she made a promise. "My mother is probably worried sick about me. I just want to make it out of here in one piece", his voice was trembling. She grunted as she started to feel around on the floor, "Don't worry we will make it out of here".

She didn't want to give up but as she continued to feel around for a sharp object, the more angrier she got. "Are you able to reach anything around you"??? Al shook his head, "I can't move at all... It feels like I'm dangling from the ceiling". This wasn't good, they were tied up really well. She sighed as she sat there hopeless, she could feel tears well up in her eyes. The only person she could think of was her Father, he would always tell her about his adventures that he went on; The ups and downs of it all. "Dad....what do I do? I don't want to die here...", she bit her lip from keeping the tears from falling. The sound of keys jangling caught both of their attention.

They both went still for a moment; They were fearful. "We need to hurry and get out of here! I don't want to know what they'll do to me", albert was fighting his way through the restraints now. Scarlett was try her best to think of something quick, it was slim chance that either one of them was making it out of there alive now. "Come on Come on! Please there has to be a way", she was panicking as she was trying to find something to break herself free. "They heard a door opened which immediately sent them both spiraling, "Scarlett do something"! "I'm trying", tears were streaming down her face as she was wriggling around. She then remembered what her father told her if she were to ever get in a situation like this.

_"Take deep breaths Scarlett. You will always need to clear your mind from all of the evil that lives in it", he looked at her with a small smile. "You must be able to focus on getting free instead of your captor coming back". She looked at him confused, "But what if you never get the chance to"? He laughed at her and leaned back in his chair, "Oh kiddo~ Don't forget who you are now? Us Rhodes have a special talent that runs through the family". He closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head, "Your mom used to be scared to death for me. Every time she found out that I went missing, she wouldn't expect for me to come back. I would always laugh when I seen the look on her face every time she opened the front door". Scarlett couldn't help but to roll her eyes, "That's nothing to be smiling about dad...I feel bad for mom"._

_He shrugged, "Honestly I thought she would be used to it after so many visits". She got up from her seat and headed for the door before he called out to her. She turned around waiting for what he had to say, "One last thing before you leave". He got up and gave her a key, "You keep this with you at all times. When the time is right I will tell you what it's for". She took it and placed it around her neck, "Will I ever get to fully know everything"? He went back to his seat and smiled at her; He clasped his hands together while shrugging, "I don't know will you"? This made her furrow her brows, "Dad what doe-" "Patience Scarlett. Everything will start to unfold as time goes on". He motioned for her to go on and she abided. She lifted the key from her neck and examined it; She wondered when she would have to put it to use but decided to not worry_ about it.

She heard footsteps coming closer, Albert was on the verge of a breakdown. She calmed herself down as she remembered her father's words, "Focus...Focus...". She slowly started to untie herself, "Focus on getting free instead of your captor....focus". "Scarle-" "SHHH! Albert I'm trying to concentrate", she continued to get a grip at the restraints. After a few seconds she finally gotten herself free. She was pumped with adrenaline now but she has to figure out a way to get the other free. She quickly pulled the blindfold off and looked around frantically.

She spotted the boy hanging upside down, he looked to be in a terrible state. She whispered, "I'm going to get you out of here okay! Just hang tight". She heard someone yell which immediately made her go hide behind a table. She spotted a metal pole in front of her; She immediately grabbed it. She covered her mouth to make sure she wouldn't be heard, "Make sure no one comes in". They made their way down the stairs; She slowly peeked around the table to see who was in the room with them. The man pointed his flashlight to the side of him; He then flicked the switch up. The room was brighter now and they could make everything out.

Before he could fully turn around he was struck upside the head with a hard object. He instantly dropped to the floor. She dropped the metal pole and rushed back to the boy, "I'm here albert we're going to make it out of here". "What was that", She ignored his questions as she tended to him. She got his hands free, she then gave him a little push as he was trying to untie his feet. "You're almost there", He grunted in response. She continued to give him a push until he finally was free. He ended up falling onto the hard floor while groaning in pain. She took his blindfold off which instantly made him shield his eyes.

"Come on al I know you're in pain but we have to push through! The door is open and we have to take that chance", She quickly put his arm around her shoulder and guided him towards the door. "What if there's someone else....what if we get caught again"? "We're not. I'll make sure of it".


	18. Chapter 18

He studied her from afar watching her fingers dance across the instrument gracefully with her eyes closed. The only sound that could be heard was the beautiful music flowing through the room. As he continued to stare at her from behind the door, she furrowed her brows deeply losing concentration. All of a sudden the music was put to a halt as she gently sat the violin down on the chair next to her; He wondered why she stopped playing. She sat there staring at the instrument until finally speaking, "There's no need to hide behind that door. I knew you were there the entire time". He was fairly taken aback by this; He cleared his throat and entered the room, "It wouldn't be so nice of me to interrupt your session madam". She gave a small chuckle as she turned her head towards him. Her eyes immediately made his heart flutter, he never seen anything like them. He felt like he was entrapped in a spell. 

She blinked at him and extended her hand, "I believe we've never met before. I'm syra". "Kevin". She nodded and stood in front of him, "Are you interested in playing or there's something else that you're looking for"? "Uh yeah! I noticed that you don't really hang around many people". He slipped a piece of paper from out of his pocket and gave it to her, "There's this event going on. Me and my friends will be there and I think it would be really nice for you to join us". She took it and smiled, "Sure I would love to come. It's true that I don't really hang around anyone but that's because I just started going to the academy this year". He looked at her surprised, "Ohhhhh really, what made you want to come to this dump"? She giggled and shook her head, "It's kind of a long story. One of which I really don't want to get in to....". 

"I see...well I'll be goi-", as soon as he was about to leave a scream could be heard which made the both of them rush outside of the room. Kevin looked around to see everyone stepping out of their classes in confusion. It occurred again but louder, "What the hell is going on"? He looked behind him to see that the girl was gone, "Syra"?! He looked around frantically, "Where'd you go"??? "Has anyone seen the girl with the bright eyes??? She was just standing right here", some shook their head and some shrugged. As he was about to leave, four people made their way down the hall urging everyone to get back to class. "Alright show's over, get back into your classes now"! The woman pushed up her glasses as she lowered the megaphone, "Everything is under control there's no need to worry"!   
  
Kevin jumped in front of the woman, she stopped and looked at the boy. He smiled at her, "Mrs. price how are you today? You're looking stunning as ever"! She sighed, "Listen kid I have things to attend to that are important. Get to your class before I give you an extended detention". He put his hands up, "Hey heyyyyy there's no need to do that. Don't you think I've suffered enough"? She shook her head and moved past him, "Everyone back into your classes now"! Everyone slowly went back into their classes; Kevin stood there watching them as they made their way down the hall. He debated whether or not it would be worth the trouble to follow after them. He decided it was best to do so; It might give them more insight, "I need to see what's going on". 

"Ugh this uniform is so distasteful I can't believe that I'm forced to wear it", she lifted the sleeve of her uniform in disgust. "It's not that bad Allison you just need to spice it up a little that's all". She pulled out a small comb and started to comb her hair, "There's so much I'd rather do than to be here. I really could care less about this crap"! Edward crossed his arms and mumbled, "You have to make learning fun...you'll really start to appreciate it more". Finn shrugged, "School's just not for everyone kid". "I just don't understand how people can't like the idea of knowledge and learning new skills". Dempsey and Finn laughed which threw Edward off guard, "One, sometimes it can get stressful. Two, you have to be comfortable in your environment. Lastly, most of this shit won't stick with us throughout our long but short lives". Takeo couldn't help but to agree. 

Edward was ready to retaliate but Dempsey shook his head signaling him that it was no use. Edward slumped down in his seat with a small pout. Takeo chuckled at his friend but, his mind went over the events that were to come. He had his doubts at first but now, he was for sure they were going up against something very dark. Just thinking about it gave him the chills but he wasn't going to back down without a fight. He had to do his part and make sure everyone was safe. As he tuned everyone out, he turned his attention towards the window to enjoy the nice view. His face immediately dropped as he looked up at the sky. 

“What is this....”? He slowly got up and went over to the window to get a closer look. Was he the only one seeing this? He never seen the sky like this and it alarmed him. The clouds were getting dark as the sky was starting to transition from sky blue to violet. Edward looked over at Takeo, “Takeo? Are you ok”? Takeo was too absorbed in his own little world that he didn’t hear Edward. Edward called out to him again which finally caught his attention. He looked at Edward and pointed towards the window, “Out there, I’ve never seen such a view”, Edward got up to see what the boy was talking about. 

He looked out of the window and nodded slowly, “You’re right, It is a nice view”. Takeo looked at him in bewilderment, “Nice...? What do you mean- There's something happening to the sky”! “....I don’t see what you’re talking about”. He looked out of the window again to see that everything was normal outside. “But- The sky was just....”, Takeo was confused as ever now. “You okay there”, Finn was looking at Takeo weirdly. Was he starting to hallucinate out of nowhere? He decided to brush it off and went back to his seat, “I’m fine”. 

As class went on for a little longer, Takeo couldn't help but to think about earlier. Why was this happening all of a sudden... The intercom went off catching everyone's attention, "Good afternoon students, it appears that classes will be cut short today". The class went into an uproar of excitement though, the four boys sat there in question. The teacher slammed her hands down on the desk, "Settle down! They're not finished"! They continued, "It has been detected earlier today that a huge storm will be heading our way...our only liable option is to send you all home". "It looks like the universe hasn't failed me today", the girl rolled her eyes at her airhead friend. "The class that you're present in will be the last class that you'll attend. Please, grab your things as soon as this class ends". 

Finn yawned as he leaned back in his chair, "Is that good news or bad news for US specifically"? Dempsey shrugged, "I don't know....". Edward huffed, "Well that's for sure sets us back big time! Today was the only day we can follow through with this plan....or is it"? The three of them sat there in conflict and continued to question the orders they've been given. Takeo was too busy tuning everyone out; he slowly looked towards the window again. This time he seen a woman in the far distance just standing there, unmoving. It seemed like he was in a trance; she started to lift her arm up. Takeo's eyes stayed glued to the woman; She stopped as soon as her arm was above her. She was pointing towards the sky now; he was confused. Nothing wasn't present, "What is it that you want me to see...."?

She continued to point upwards; He didn't understand why but he continued to give her his attention. Was his hallucination going to become reality? A sound of someone screaming rang through their ears. Everyone quickly made their way out of the classroom to see what was going on. Takeo looked back out of the window to see that the woman was gone, "What's in the sky..."? He slowly got up from his seat to join the others, "Edward can you see anything"? Edward shook his head in response, "Nothing. Everyone is trying to figure out which direction the scream came from". "Hm", Takeo looked around him in bewilderment. Finn turned towards the three, "I just know that we have a big problem on our hands and this might add to it". Edward, Dempsey, and Takeo nodded in agreement.

Definitely. 

He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, "What's taking him so long"?! He started to get impatient every second he stood there. Nikolai came walking out of the restroom and Billy instantly detached himself from the wall. "Ready to go", Nikolai asked with a smile. Billy wanted to knock it off for making him wait for so long. "Next time I will fucking leave you", Nikolai whined as Billy started to walk away. "Oh come on! It wasn't that long comrade", Billy eyebrow twitched. "Stop calling me that! What is it with you calling people "Comrade"???? Nikolai blinked at him and shrugged, "It becomes habit I guess". "Habit"? "Yep"! Billy rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine. Just know that I'm not so fond of being called that". "You'll get used to it comrade", Nikolai smirked deviously to himself. Billy was ready to pop a vein....poor kid.

As they were walking down the main hall, they were met with the school's head before them. This made Nikolai put his hand in front of Billy signaling him to stop. He became hostile all of sudden while Billy was staring him down. They stood there trying to figure out a way to avoid them; What was oblivious were all of the commotion before them. The head of the Academy just stood there watching the whole thing. It seems that they felt eyes burning a hole into their back which made them look over their shoulder. The boys flinched a little, it felt unnerving. They fully turned around towards the boys and had an emotionless look on their face. They stared each other down until the head finally spoke, "Billy handsome! Ah and you must be Nikolai Belinski". 

His whole demeanor changed which threw them both off, "Yes...that's us". "Well Is there something you need? Did you cause trouble again Mr. _Handsome_ "? This is the only time someone saying his last name would want to make him vomit; Just didn't feel appropriate at the moment. "Everything's just fine we were just on our way", Billy turned around and started walking the opposite direction. Nikolai slowly followed while looking over his shoulder, "Were you going to pass? My apologies I will step out of your amongst the conflict ". Billy continued walking as for Nikolai he stopped, "Billy maybe we're just overreacting.... We don't actually know that he's suspicious". 

  
"We shouldn't take any chances. He gives me weird vibes so, going near him would creep me out". "He is the head of this place after all. I know we have orders but don't you have your doubts about all of this"? Billy thought about it for a moment, "It may sound ridiculous but I'm not putting anything past anyone in this shitty ass place! There has to be a major reason as to why he made it onto that list. That "Samuel" kid might be weird as hell but I noticed that he has a good eye". Billy looked over at the head with a sharp glare, "You might have your doubts now but I'm telling ya kid....some people aren't just for everyone".

  
The boy walked away leaving the other standing there thinking about what he said.


	19. Chapter 19

“What’s the issue here”?! They were all standing in a circle surrounding them; It was a boy. He seemed so shaken up that he was curled up like an armadillo on the floor. They were all staring at the boy wondering how to approach him. “Price”, she nodded and kneeled down in front of the boy. She placed her hand on his back gently; he immediately went stiff under her touch. She noticed this and lifted her hand a little, she knew that they couldn’t be there all day. She spoke softly, “It’s okay, we’re here now. Would you like to tell us what happened”? 

There was only silence from the boy, she waited a few more seconds before speaking again. “Can you at least tell me your name young man”? A few more seconds pass by and You could hear one of the men sigh which made the woman furrow her brows. What could have made him like this? “We can’t sit here all day waiting to get answers. We have to get him out of here as soon as the bell rings for them to leave”. She looks down at the boy, he was still unmoving. She didn’t know how they were going to get him out of there. “Look, how about this? We will get you somewhere comfortable and safe then will you tell us what happened”? 

It felt like forever until she saw him finally lift his head. All of them gave a sigh of relief, this wasn’t going to take long after all. The next thing she saw almost sent her into a state of shock. Purple patches were plastered in different areas of his face with large growing bubbles. His pupils were red and dilated. Her eyes widened as she stared at the boy, he had a crazed smile on his face. It made her skin crawl as he continued to stare at her. “Soon, there won’t be anyone left...just your ashes flying away in the dust. Ira will rise and there will be a new order”, his voice was trembling as he spoke. 

Before she could question the boy, one of the men grab the woman’s arm quickly. He pulled her away from the boy immediately, “Stand back we don’t know if it’s dangerous”! She frowned deeply at that; He was still a student of the academy overall a child! Calling him an “It” didn’t sit right with her at all. “Reed, what are you doing?! You can clearly see that something’s wrong; We can’t just leave him here like this”! “Then what should we do price? Neither one of us were trained to deal with something like this”, a man with jet black hair that was parted to the side spoke. 

He pushed up his glasses gently, “If something extreme were to happen like this, we were told to report it and leave it to the higher ups...were we not? You’re right about not being able to leave him like this but this is not for us to deal with”. She looked at him in disbelief, “Are you listening to yourself right now? If we leave him here and wait for the higher ups to come, who knows what will happen by the time they get here”! His eyes darted towards her, “Don’t you think I know that? There’s no need to feel bad about leaving price. You can’t save everyone, if you want to save yourself”. 

“This is Ludacris", she thought. Why wait for help when they could take matters into their own hands. She tried to pull away from the man but he held a strong grip. This only made her even more frustrated, “Reed, let me go”. He looked at her with guilt as he mumbled a small “no”. As they were going back and forth with each other, they didn’t notice the boy standing in front of them now. He let out an inhuman screech which brought the others attention. “Get back now”, Reed yelled as he pushed price behind him. 

She grunted as she fell onto the floor. He pulled out a small radio and pressed the button on the side of it. Loud static could be heard until a voice came through on the other end, “This is Preston reporting in do you copy. We have a code white on our hands, it seems that drastic measures have to be taken”. He held the radio up to his ear a little longer until he nodded and finally put it down. Code white...there was no knowledge of there being a code white. “Wh-what the hell is happening around here”? 

Reed slowly backed away as he was trying to get to the door unnoticed. She lifted up slowly while rubbing her side, “I’m not going to sit here and let this boy suffer”! She started to get up slowly and make her way towards the boy. Preston continued to stand in the same position; unfazed by the whole situation. The boy noticed price moving towards him, this immediately made him move farther away. He got down on all fours and crawled up the nearest wall. He let out another screech as Preston watched his every movement closely. 

Behind the door to the classroom, Kevin watched with wide eyes; He didn’t notice his hands were shaking violently. He didn’t know what to do at that exact moment; If he didn’t do something, things were going to get worse. Kevin looked around for a weapon of some sort, “Where could I find something of use around here”? He stepped away from the scene slowly and ran down the hall. As he was running, he heard a scream which immediately sent him in a panic; It was one of the teachers. 

“Kevin”, he came to a halt as he recognized the voice immediately. He turned around quickly and was met face to face with the girl from before, “Serene”! She smiled at him gently, “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost. Everything’s alright”? He looked at her as he was still trying to control his breathing, “You- I- Wha-what happened to you??? Earlier- You just vanished”! She laughed a little, “Oh right, I apologize for disappearing like that Kevin”. 

He shook his head and waved dismissively, “You know what- you're fine. I’m fine.... I think? I was just going to get some supplies from the....”, he tried to think of a place as quick as possible. She stared at him with her eyebrow raised waiting for an answer, “From the....”? “The....The Janitor’s closet”! “May I ask what for”? He stared down the hall and gulped, “U-um there’s a “Party” going on down in class 5c. Kids are going to be jumping off of the wall literally. I thought that it was in my best interest to go help and clean up afterwards because there’ll be a BIG accident waiting to happen....”. 

She stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly, “ok.... you know if you need any hel-” Another screech could be heard down the hall which made them both look in the same direction. They stood there frozen until the screeching faded. Before the clueless girl could gather up her words, Kevin grabbed her hand and started running towards the Janitor’s closet. 

“Thanks for sticking around even though you didn’t have to”. “Ah that’s no problem. We should hang out some more only I-if you want to”, she laughed. “There’s no need to get nervous around me you know? I’m not some big-time celebrity”, Kane was blushing as he stuck his hands into his pockets. They were helping out getting the supplies together for the upcoming play. Even though he basically knew there wasn’t no use in helping out, he still did. 

They got off of the stage to sit down in the audience full of chairs. As they were sitting down neither one of them said a word to each other; the silence was a little awkward but not too much. Kane decided he should try and spark up a conversation once more at least. He cleared his throat before speaking, “So... was that your boyfriend”? Jessica looked at him confused, “Boyfriend? Where did that come from”? “I didn’t mean to abruptly ask that it’s just that I was curious. I mean the boy that you were with earlier in the cafeteria”. 

She stared at him for a moment before finally realizing who he was talking about. She snorted which turned into a full-blown laughing fit. Kane stared at her in embarrassment, he knew shouldn’t have asked her that. “I might have to claim him now s-since it looks that way BAHAHAHA”, she was on the verge of tears from laughing so much. After having the laugh of her life, she decided that it was time to stop. “If you really want to know, the answer is no. He’s just a friend”. “Oh”, was all he could muster up to say. 

It grew silent again, all of the other kids were on the stage practicing their parts that they were auditioning for. Jessica couldn’t help but to frown a little as she was watching some of them. She was known to be a little stuck-up but she never was the one to be seen as a jealous type. Maybe she wasn’t as special as she made herself out to be. All of these thoughts bombarding her mind had brought her mood down. “Excuse me, I’m just going to go step out in the hall really quick”. 

He nodded and she made her towards the double doors. She opened it and exhaled loudly; it felt like her chest was tightening up. “There’s no need to let something so stupid bring you down”, she mumbled to herself. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes; “Misty what are you doing”?! She immediately opened her eyes when she heard her friend’s name. She went towards the direction the voice came from, “Hurry up and give me that rope! Let’s get him in there”! 

Jessica jaw dropped at the site before her, “what the hell are you doing”?! The three of them looked at each other before looking at Jessica. She stood there waiting for an answer, “Uh....he fell out in front of us and....we just wanted to make sure that he’ll be o-okay". “Why not take him to the nurse instead of putting him in the Janitor’s closet? Why is there a rope needed”?! Misty sighed and motioned to Jessica with an irritated look; The two boys nodded and grabbed both of Jessica’s arms. 

“Wait wait WAIT what are you doing”, she begins pushing them off of her. “Sorry Jess but we can’t let you interfere. It’ll be best if you will just co-operate". As the boys were struggling to pull her away, Misty dragged the man into the closet. The door opened to the auditorium; this immediately sent the boys into a panic. It was Kane; the boy was looking around until he spotted Jessica being dragged away. He basically dashed to her rescue and ended up pushing one of the boys off of her. 

Jessica yanked her arm away from the other; all of them stared each other down. “You alright”, Kane asked as he continued to stare them down. “Yeah, I’m fine”, she shot Marlton a cold glare and he instantly went stiff. “You have a lot nerve ordering me around four eyes. I want answers now”! Before Marlton could get the chance to slightly open his mouth Diego stepped in. “I’m afraid that we can’t do that miss rose”. 

Marlton seen the look on Jessica’s face after he said that, he knew that she wouldn’t let this go. “And here I thought that you wouldn’t be a problem at all”, Diego rolled his eyes and turned away. “let’s go, we don’t have any more time to waste. This’ll be the only time I let something so foolish get in my way”. She scoffed at this and Kane shot him a glare, “S-sorry Jessica I wish I could tell you but it’s for your own good”. Finally, they went into the janitor’s closet and a click sound could be heard; it was locked. 

Jessica stood there staring at the door dumbfounded; What the hell had just happened? She furrowed her eyebrows deeply as she clenched her fists, She quickly went to the door and started banging on it loudly, Kane hurriedly rushed to her. “Jessica classes are still going on! We can’t be out here any longer”, he said as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her from the door. She used all of her strength against him and continued to bang on the door loudly while yelling like a wild woman. 

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BRUSHING ME OFF LIKE THAT?! OPEN THE DOOR I’M NOT DONE TALKING”! There was only silence in return which made her even more furious, “MISTY”! Kane succeeded in pulling her away and kept a tight grip around her. She was kicking and screaming as he hurriedly rushed back into the auditorium with her. On the other end, the three teenagers sighed; They had no choice but to leave Jessica in the dark. 

“Marlton why the long face pal? I know ya didn’t want to do this but how else would we know if the bastard is who we’re truly after”? Marlton looked at misty, he couldn’t help but to feel bad about this. If nothing’s really going on then that could put them in serious jeopardy. Diego stared at the man before them with an emotionless stare, “I just want answers. Nothing more nothing less”. Misty nodded and pulled the light switch up above; the small closet lit up and they could see better now. Misty grabbed the rope and started tying the man up. 

If this is a risk that they’ll have to take then they will go all the way until they find out the truth. 

She continued to carry the boy the whole way; She was grateful that she brought a flashlight with her. It looked like they were in an old abandoned building, everything was nearly destroyed. She grunted a little as a pain shot through her leg. They were far enough to stop and catch a break, “I’m going to sit you down right here ok”? He nodded quickly; She slowly sat him down near a wall. He looked even worse now which made her look at him sadly. 

“I’m going to find a way out of here. Meanwhile I want you to have this in case anything happens”, she gave him a small amulet. He looked at her confused but she didn’t give an answer. She just stood up and ran down the hall of the old abandoned building. He held it close as he began to drift off to sleep, “Be careful....Scarlett”. She encountered plenty of locked doors and dead ends; It felt like she was in a maze. 

She didn’t give up though, she wouldn’t let herself give up. As she began to tug and pull on another doorknob, the door finally opened. She hesitated before fully opening it; She was immediately hit with a horrible smell. She quickly pulled her shirt over her nose while waving the flashlight around. As she slowly stepped forward, she made sure to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. 

She began to pick up the pace a little, “I doubt this leads to an exit...”. Even though she wanted to keep her composure she felt like she was going to crack at any second. To fuel her fears even more she felt something brush past her; The feeling was cold and it made her shudder. She frantically waved her flashlight around but was met with nothing. Her heart began racing as she clenched her jaw. 

“It’s nothing, you're just paranoid! Keep going”, she kept reassuring herself. She continued to search around some more until she saw a faint shadow run past her. This is immediately made her freeze up. Her breathing started to become erratic as she was unmoving. She started to question where she went wrong in her life to end up in a situation like this. There was a slithering noise that was present; she heard it behind her inching closer and closer. 

She gasped a little while frozen in place; If this was the time to run then it was best to do so. She finally built up the courage to move out of her spot. Adrenaline shot though her veins which made her run faster than ever she did before. As she was running, she spotted a light in front of her; “That’s it! That must be the way out”, she thought. On the other end she could hear them catching up to her quickly. An inhuman screech rang through her ears, whatever it was that was chasing her sounded of none from this planet; It was loud and scary. 

She seen that the light from afar was a door leading to somewhere. She forcibly pushed it open and closed it behind her. There was loud banging coming from the other side; She backed away a little while covering her ears. She pleaded to herself for the banging to stop; it did after a few minutes. She slowly uncovered her ears while staring at the door closely. After a few moments of silence, she decided to stand up fully. 

She felt the cool breeze hit her arm; she was suddenly hit with the realization that she was outside. She immediately sighed of relief but immediately remembered albert. “Oh no.... I can’t just leave him there”, she looked around at her surroundings. It was like a sand storm had just passed through, there was dust flying everywhere. She looked at the door that she had just come through in horror, did she really want to put herself at risk and go back there?


	20. Chapter 20

“Ok...Mom- Yes, I get it. M- Alright I’ll see you when I get home.... bye”. Before he could hang the phone up, it was suddenly grabbed out of his hand in an instant. “Mrs. Dempsey~ Hi, how are you doing today? This is Edward Yes-”, Dempsey stared at him and Edward did the same while smiling widely. Dempsey tried to snatch the phone away but Edward kept it close to his ear while pushing him away. Finn was sitting down at a desk with his feet propped up. He stared at the clock the whole time wanting the class to be over with. 

Takeo stood with the other students near the classroom door; Mostly to see if anything else would occur. It seemed like they could still hear commotion going on but they were told to stay put while the situation was being put under control. Just a few classes down Billy, Nikolai, Vincent, and Nero were together in Shaw’s class. Billy sighed and rested his head on the desk, “I just want everything to be over with”. 

Nikolai hummed in agreement. On the other end of the class was Vincent and Nero; Nero had brought in a clear crystal ball that was placed on a small stand. He sat it on the desk gently, “Oh please give us a break Nero. Now all of a sudden, you’re a fortune teller”??? Nero ignored him and placed all of his focus on the ball in front of him, “You know all of this is just foreplay, right? You wouldn’t be able to tell people their future through a fucking crystal ball”. 

As Vincent kept going on and on about how Nero was wasting his time, he got nothing in return. He seemed to be a little annoyed by the silence so, he picked up the stand and held it above his head. “JACKIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING”, Nero basically jumped up out of his seat. The boy tried to get the ball back from him but every time he jumped, the higher it went. “Didn’t you hear what just I said or are you deaf? This thing isn’t worth jack! It’s all just lies”; Vincent wore a smug look on his face. 

“No, it’s not! Just give it back already "Nero started to panic as it looked like the ball was starting to roll off the stand a little. He tried to think of a way to get it back but everything he came up with seemed like a failed plan. As the boys were going back and forth, Billy slowly lifted his head from his desk. Nikolai peeked an eye opened and watched him as he did so; He slowly got up from the desk and started walking over to where Nero and Vincent were. 

The other students saw Billy walking over and it didn’t look like he was in the best mood. The vibe he was giving off intimidated them and everyone made sure to stay out of his way. He kept a hardened gaze focused on Vincent specifically; Whatever he had planned wasn’t something legal. The boys were still yelling at each other and didn’t notice the stares that were being sent their way. The whole class went silent except for the two boys. 

Nikolai slightly turned in his chair so he could see everything. Vincent continued to talk nonsense while Nero suddenly went to a halt. Vincent noticed this and smirked, “What’s wrong NeRo finally understand that this is a piece of junk”? A hand was suddenly placed onto his shoulder, he was about to confront whoever was touching him until he saw who it was. He was met face to face with a very menacing looking Billy; It was like he was staring at death itself. 

The staring continued until Vincent gathered up the courage to step away while still holding the crystal ball close. “Didn’t you ever learn not to touch without asking”?! Billy wasn’t in the mood to get into a argument, he lowered his focus to the ball in his arms. He then looked at Nero who looked like he was going to faint under his stare; Billy ended up putting two and two together. Everyone was silently watching as for Shaw also; Nikolai sat there and watched Billy closely. 

“What is he going to do”, he thought to himself. Billy didn’t hesitate to go and grab the ball from him but before he could Vincent dodge him. Now he was angry, “I don’t have time for this shit. Give it back now Vincent or I’m going to break every fucking bone in your body”. The other scoffed trying to keep up the tough guy act while in the inside he was kind of intimidated. “Take another step and I'll make sure you regret it. I know things about you that no one else knows handsome”. 

Billy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; his patience was running really thin. Vincent looked at him with a smug look, “If I were you, I would think about my decision very carefully”. “You think that I’m fucking scared of what you have to say? You don’t know shit about me kid; you’re just desperate for attention like the rest of these assholes”, Billy laughed to himself a little. Everyone took offense to that but they wouldn’t express it verbally. 

Nero stepped in between the two, “C-come on Jackie....we don’t want things to e-escalate f-further. Please I beg you, just give it a back". Vincent ignored him and raised the ball above his head while staring at Billy. “I suggest you back off unless you would want to be the blame for this breaking into a million pieces”. Nikolai slowly stood up from his chair waiting for the right moment to step in; Shaw decided to go and break it up, “Alright Alright enough of this nonsense give him the ball back right this instant”! 

Billy looked him dead in the eyes, “Lower it and I promise you that you’ll make it out of here”. “Do you really want to threat-”, before he could finish, he was pushed harshly on the ground. Everyone stared in shock as nikolai was the one responsible, “THE BALL”. It flew into the air and at any second it was going to fall; Billy and Nero slide on the floor into the same direction and went to catch it before it fell. Everything seemed it was in slow motion now; The ball was about to fall into their hands but what happens next shocked everyone. 

Nikolai looked in front of him with wide eyes, Billy and Nero shared the same expression, while Vincent stood there huffing lightly. Shaw’s jaw clenched as he looked at the scene in front of him, “Bloody hell....”. What was once of a sphere was now broken into tiny bits all over the ground. Nero slowly stood and shakenly walked over to the mess. As he started to slowly pick-up broken shards bit by bit his eyes started watering. Nikolai gritted his teeth as he quickly walked over to Vincent and grabbed him forcibly by his shirt collar. Nikolai was so angry that he started shouting in his mother tongue. 

The rest of the class just stood there in silence; Billy push nikolai out of way and threw a hard jab at the other. The boy fell onto the ground harshly and Billy continued to throw jabs at him, it seemed like all of the anger he held in came spewing out at that exact moment. Shaw quickly rushed over to them and tried to pulled them apart but Billy held a tight grip on the boy’s shirt. Ignoring all of the yelling and commotion going on around him, tears were continuing to spill from his eyes. 

“Stop right now”, Shaw yelled as he finally pulled Billy off Vincent. Adrenaline still pumping through his veins Billy tried to get pass Shaw but Nikolai was quick to grab him and hold him back. Vincent face was covered in bruises and blood was dripping from his nose, “What’s the matter with you two! When the bell rings you will not be leaving this room you hear me”, Shaw tug at his hair a little in frustration. “M-mr shaw look there’s something happening”, a girl pointed to where Nero was. 

Shaw couldn’t believe what he was seeing, the shards were lifting up slowly from the ground. Nero’s vision was blurry from the tears that he didn’t notice the ones that he picked up starting to slowly rise. “Nero drop the shards now”, Nikolai yelled. Nero looked back at them and sniffled, “Why-” “Just do it”, Nero flinched and immediately dropped all of it from his hands. Nero looked in front of him and notice what was happening. As more kept rising, they started to swirl in around in the air. 

More and more rose up and continued to join the motion until they started to come together again. Piece by piece the shards shaped itself into its previous form before the accident; In an instant the crystal ball was present before their eyes; Nero couldn’t believe it. The ball floated in midair which made the class stare in awe. The show wouldn’t go on for long though. A huge light flash before them making everyone shield their eyes. 

The light faded and everyone slowly unveiled their eyes. “Is everyone alright”, Shaw looked around the room frantically to make sure the kids were alright. Standing before them was a woman; She had long black hair that reached all way to the floor, she was dressed in a long white silk robe, and her skin resembled chestnut brown. She opened her eyes to reveal her light green orbs. She stared at them all before lowering her gaze; Nero quickly looked down not wanting to make eye contact with her. 

Amongst all of the students, a girl and a boy watched from the corner. The girl had her hand latch onto her side while the boy stood like the rest; They held no emotion whatsoever. Still watching from afar, the lady seemed to only be focused on Nero. He wanted to run to the others but he was too scared to move. She slowly bent down to be at the same level; She was starting to lift her hand and bring it towards Nero. Billy broke free from Nikolai and went to pull Nero back to where they were. 

She slightly frowned at this and lowered her hand. “Who are you”, Shaw asked as he eyed the woman. She slowly stood again and replaced the frown with a warm smile. 

"I am Ira".


End file.
